
Class fr44-0 

Book__J43__ 



CflEMRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



r. 




See page 22. 



Towering Palims of Rio. 
Rio de Janeiro^ Brazil. 



SEVEN LEGS 
ACROSS THE SEAS 

A PRINTER'S IMPRESSIONS 
OF MANY LANDS 



BY 



SAMUEL MURRAY 

Author of "From Clime to Clime" 




NEW YORK 

MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY 

1918 



GcA 



.\\<\ 



Copyright, 1918. by 
MOFFAT, YARD AND COMPANY 

Published, February, 1918 



APR 18 1918 



)G!.A492963 



INTRODUCTORY 

I WAS early aboard the fastest ship that ever foamed the seas. 
Later, a long, strong whistle blast blew — the signal for starting 
— and soon she headed southward, the great vessel traveling 
through New York harbor to Sandy Hook as noiselessly as a 
bobsleigh drawn through two feet of unpacked snow. 

I had secured a second class ticket to Buenos Aires, Argen- 
tina, by way of England, this marking the first of several legs 
of the world over which I had planned to travel. Thirteen 
hundred and fifty dollars, representing years of economical liv- 
ing, was the sum deemed as necessary to accomplish what I had 
purposed doing. By trade I am a printer and linotype operator. 

In earlier years money for traveling expenses was of little 
concern, for the fascination that accompanies prowling about 
freight trains seeking an empty box car, or the open end door 
of a loaded one in which to steal a ride, or of turning one's back 
to the tender of a locomotive to protect the eyes from hot cin- 
ders coming from a snorting passenger engine while standing on 
the draughty platform of a " blind " baggage car — one without 
end doors — the train at the same time traveling at a speed of 
from 45 to 50 miles an hour — the " cinder days " during the 
catch-as-catch-can periods of traveling through coastwise tracts 
of country, across unbroken prairie stretches and over mountain 
fastnesses, are pleasant ones to recall, not forgetting the hungry, 
cold and wet spells that all men meet with who are enticed 
by the gritty allurements to beat their way about the country on 
railroad trains. 

Since Benjamin Franklin's day it has been a custom with 
printers to travel from place to place, and, as some of the dev- 
otees of the " art preservative of all arts " had covered large 
territories of the world from time to time, I wished to be nam- 



INTRODUCTORY 

bered among those at the top of the list. A union printer has 
h'ttle trouble in getting work in the United States, by reason 
of the large Sunday newspaper editions requiring extra men 
during the latter part of the week, and by vacancies taking place 
through the " moving spirit " of the workers, which has al- 
ways characterized the printing trade. 

This fascination, however, like other diversions of a rough 
nature, lost its charm in time, as it proved more comfortable 
traveling by passenger trains — inside the coach and sitting on 
a cushioned seat — than riding on the platform of a car that 
was being constantly pelted with red-hot cinders. I had gradu- 
ated from the " free-ride " school. 

On a trip through North America I had visited Yosemite 
Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove, Yellowstone Park, the 
Grand Canj^on of Arizona, Mexico, Mammoth Cave, Niagara 
Falls, and the Thousand Islands after I had enrolled in the 
" Cushion College." 

Later on, having saved $400, a trip to Europe was made, 
visiting in that part of the world most of the chief points of 
interest. I had gone as far East as Vienna, Austria, when my 
funds became so low that two meals a day was all they would 
allow of, and I resorted to traveling at night on railroad trains 
with one compulsory aim in view — to save lodging money. 
After I had bought my steamship ticket in Rome, Italy, for 
New York, two weeks before the ship was to sail from Naples, 
the best I could figure out of the surplus money I would have 
at the time of sailing — on a two meals a day basis — was four 
francs — eighty cents. My savings for years, in short, had 
passed over the office counters of railroad and steamship com- 
panies. 

As the major portion of my travel was by water, the nautical 
word Leg has been chosen as a designating term for the differ- 
ent sections of the world visited, embracing South American 
cities, South Africa, Zululand, and Victoria Falls, in Rhodesia; 
Australia, New Zealand and principal South Sea Island groups; 
then back to Africa and up the East Coast to Zanzibar and 
Mombasa; next through British East Africa to and across 



INTRODUCTORY 

Victoria Nyanza into Uganda. Leaving Africa, we sailed over 
the Indian Ocean to India, visiting, among other features in 
that country, the Himalaya Mountains, and afterwards Ceylon. 
From Colombo we traveled eastward to the Straits Settle- 
ments, Philippines, China and Japan, concluding observations 
at the Hawaiian Islands. The journey was from New York 
to New York over the territory briefly outlined in the foregoing 
itinerary. 

From Sandy Hook we sail for England. 



CONTENTS 

Introductory 



PAGE 

iii-v 



LEG ONE 

CHAPTER I 

Incidents of Ocean Travel — Sights and Scenes in Eng- 
land — London Railways and Traffic — Public Insti- 
tutions Contrasted 3 

CHAPTER II 

Off for South America — Storm in Bay of Biscay — Im- 
pressions of Lisbon, Portugal — Madeira Island — 
Novel Public Hack — " Neptuning " Passengers — 
Crossing the Equator — Southern Cross . . . . lo 

CHAPTER III 

Brazilian Ports — Rio de Janeiro — Monroe Palace — 
Towering Palms of Rio — Uruguay — The River 
Plate — Characteristics of the People — Buenos Aires 
— Off for South Africa i9 



LEG TWO 

CHAPTER I 

A Tramp Ship at Sea — Wonderful Birds — Ashore in 

South Africa 37 



CONTENTS 
CHAPTER II 

PAGE 

Durban — Its Mixed Population — Sanitary and Clean — 
The Christ Thorn — Novel Ways of Trapping Mon- 
keys — The Indian Coolie, a Taxed Ulcer — " Spik- 
ing " a Hindu's Tongue — Horned Ricksha Pullers — 
Labor in Politics — Harpooning and Cutting up 
Whales 43 

CHAPTER III 

Trip to Zululand — Home Life of the Natives — Wives 

for Cows — Calling on an Old Printer .... 74 

CHAPTER IV 

South African Railway Travel — Scenes of Massacres — 

Johannesburg — Transvaal Gold Mines .... 90 

CHAPTER V 

Pretoria and the Boers — The Kruger Monument — Puz- 
zling Names 109 

CHAPTER VI 

On to Mafeking — Interesting Natives and Souvenirs — 
Sighting Rhodes' Grave — Rhodesia — Bulawayo — 
Victoria Falls, a Mile of Amber-Colored Lace — Falls 
Compared — Deadly African Fever . . . . .115 

CHAPTER VII 

Kimberley, the Diamond City — Bloemfontein, the Con- 
vention City — Crossing the Dry, Barren Karoo 
Country — The Ostrich — Capetown — Climate the 
Best in South Africa — Table Mountain . . . .129 



CONTENTS 

LEG THREE 
CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

Leaving the Baltic Sea for Australia — A White Country 
— The Gold Fields — Crossing the Great Australian 
Bight — Melbourne — Pensions for Aged — Immi- 
gration Encouraged 145 

CHAPTER n 

Trip to Adelaide — Finest Homes in the World — Kanga- 
roo Called the Native — Visit to Ballarat . . . .157 

CHAPTER HI 

The Heads — Sydney, Its Noted Harbor — Rural Educa- 
tion on Wheels 162 

CHAPTER IV 

Crossing Bass Straits — Tasmania — Hobart — Port Ar- 
thur and Its Prison Walls and Memories . . . .170 



LEG FOUR 

CHAPTER I 

Crossing the Tasman Sea — Last White Settlement — 
Dunedin, a Scotch City — Christchurch — Welling- 
ton and Its Splendid Harbor — Peloros Jack, the 
Pilot Fish 179 



CHAPTER II 

To Maoriland — Rotorua — Geyserland — The Maori — 
Nose-Rubbing — Auckland — Courteous, Prosperous 
People , . . , , 190 



CONTENTS 
CHAPTER III 

PAGE 

South Sea Islands — The Fijians — Free Railroad Travel 

— A Vegetable Marvel I99 

CHAPTER IV 

An Ocean Park — Natives of the Samoan Group — No 

Locked Doors — The Samoan a Fatalist .... 208 

CHAPTER V 

Friendly Islands — Pretty Harbor of Vavau — Customs 

— A Striking, Strapping King — Sacred Animals . 215 

LEG FIVE 

CHAPTER I 

A " Red Ticket " for South Africa — Eight Weeks' Travel 
for Ninety Dollars — Portuguese East Africa — In- 
hambane, Where Death Revels — Beira, the " Trol- 
ley Town " 225 

CHAPTER II 

German East Africa — Women in Iron Yokes — Zanzibar 

— Old Slave Mart — Cloves Thrive — Tanga . . 232 

CHAPTER III 

Mombasa — A Three Years' Residence Limit — In the 
Big Game Country — Nature's " Greatest Show on 
Earth " — Nairobi — Dead Left to Wild Beasts . . 240 

CHAPTER IV 

Naked Natives — Victoria Nyanza — Bubonic Flea — 
Uganda — African " Freight Train " — Sleeping 
Sickness — Deadly Tsetse Fly — Beautiful Entebbe 

— The Rubber Country — Ant Eaters — Kampala 

— Jinja and Ripon Falls — River Nile .... 250 



CONTENTS 

LEG SIX 

CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

Off for India — Ship Doctor Hunting for Jiggers — 
Seychelles — Bombay — The Parsi — Towers of Si- 
lence — Handsomest Railway Station .... 265 

CHAPTER II 

In Baroda — Sacred Monkeys — Ahmedabad — Birds, 
Animals and Insects Worshiped — Agra — The Taj 
Mahal — Plural Wives — Delhi, Rebuilding — Ele- 
phant " Rocks " the Cradle . 278 

CHAPTER III 

Aligarh — Novel Water Carrier — Cawnpore — The 
Massacre Well — Lucknow — Benares — Hindu 
Gods — Monkey Temple — Bathing Ghats — Sar- 
nath and Its Temple Ruins 292 

CHAPTER IV 

Himalayas — Magnificent Views — Kinchinjanga, the 

Giant — Darjeeling — Mountain Tribes .... 306 

CHAPTER V 

Calcutta — Memories of " The Black Hole "— Blood Of- 
ferings — A Mecca for Hindu Widows Who Bathe 
— Madras — First Christian Church in India . .316 

CHAPTER VI 

Colombo — Ceylon — Cinnamon Tree Industry — Trot- 
ting Bullocks Afford Rapid Transit — Kandy — 
Buddha's T ooth — Elephants in Trucking — Nut- 
meg Trees 327 



CONTENTS 

LEG SEVEN 
CHAPTER I 

PAGE 

Nine Weeks to the Orient — Singapore — Malay States 
Rubber Mad — Straits Settlements — Hogs in Bas- 
kets — Chinamen in Motor Cars — A "Dutch" 
Wife — OfE to Hongkong — A Horseless Town — 
Mountain Travel 335 

CHAPTER n 

Canton — Chinese Pirates — Lost Within the City Walls 

— City of the Dead — " Feeding " the Dead — 
Quaint Home Customs — Chinese Industrious — No 
Waste Land 347 

CHAPTER HI 

Manila — Poor Water, Whisky Plentiful — Consump- 
tion — Squirrel Nest Homes — Chinese Opium 
Smugglers — Evicting the Dead — No Vault Rent, 
No Resting Place — The Manila Wall .... 354 

CHAPTER IV 

Shanghai — Professional Weepers — Family Feeding by 
Contract — Wheelbarrow Transit — The Bund — 
Leaving Wusung for Japan — Japanese Girls Coal- 
ing Ship 362 

CHAPTER V 

The Inland Sea — Kobe — The Jap's Home — Street 
Cars and Rickshas in Competition — Men, Women 
and Children in Harness — Income Tax on Labor — 
Kyoto Paper Houses — Kyoto Temples — Yokohama 

— Kamakura — The Daibutsu Bronze Giant . .371 



CONTENTS 
CHAPTER VI 

PAGE 

Tokyo — Mikado's Palace — Asakusa Temple — Geisha 
Women — Hari-Kiri — Black Teeth — Nikko, Its 
Temples — Funeral Festivals 383 

CHAPTER VII 

To Honolulu, Hawaii — Recrossing the i8oth Meridian 
— Cheap Ice and Bananas — "Don't Spit" Signs — 
Sugar Cane — The Prize "Black Maria" of the 
World — Education — Natives Seek Easy Jobs — 
Home of the Last Queen — Hilo — To Kilauea 
Crater — The Volcano in Action — An Appalling 
Scene 394 

Itinerary 405 

Map. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Towering Palms of Rio. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (See 

page 22) Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

Southern Cross. (See page 17.) 16 

Plaza de Mayo (top) and Avenida de Mayo (bottom). 

Buenos Aires, Argentine 30 

Jim Fish Was the Swiftest Puller that Ever Wore a 
Brace of Horns. Durban, South Africa. (See page 
61) 60 

Zulus " Scoffing " Mealy Meal. Zululand, South Africa 78 

Native Huts and Kafir Corn (top) ; African Transport 

(bottom). South Africa 96 

Victoria Falls, Rhodesia. (See page 122) . . . 122 

Parliament House, Melbourne (top), and Victoria Mar- 
kets, Sydney, Australia (bottom) . . . .162 

Maori Women Cooking by Boiling Springs (right). 
(See page 193.) Maori Women's Salute — Rubbing 
Noses and Shaking Hands (left). New Zealand. 
(See page 195) i94' 

Interior of Samoan Home, Built of Breadfruit Tree, Se- 
cured by Coir; No Nails Used. Samoa. (Seepage 
213) 2^2 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

Vigil on the Veld (top), British East Africa; " Trolley " 
Pushers (bottom), Beira, Portuguese East Africa. 
(See page 230.) 248 

Parsi (right), Bombay, India. (See page 271.) Bhisti 

(Water-Carrier) (left). India. (See page 293.) 270 

Types of Indian Soldiers. The Goorkha (right). (See 

page 311.) The Sikh (left). (See page 311.) . 290 

Mount Kinchinjanga (Himalayas). Center Peak in 
Circle, Mount Everest. Darjeeling, India. (Photo, 
Burlington) 312 

Small Colony of Half a Million Sampan Dwellers of 
Pearl River ; These Water Homes Save House Rent. 
Canton, China. (See page 351.) . . . -352 

Panorama of Honolulu, Hawaii 398 



LEG ONE 



SEVEN LEGS 
ACROSS THE SEAS 



CHAPTER I 

A PUZZLING phase of ocean travel soon becomes apparent 
during a passenger ship's journey to one making his first voyage 
— sometimes when a vessel has been at sea not more than a few 
hours. He is apt to find himself at a loss to account for the 
absence of the many persons who crowded the deck rails of 
the steamship — chatting, saying good-by to friends and some 
bidding a final farewell to their country — before and imme- 
diately after the vessel pulled away from her dock into the 
harbor. After a few days, however, the mystery gradually un- 
folds. Vacant chairs in the dining saloon become occupied 
from time to time as the journey advances ; more passengers are 
taking part in deck amusements ; new faces are seen in the social 
hall and smoking saloon — the ship's " family " surely grows. 
On voyages of from two to four weeks' duration this feature 
becomes even more interesting. Frequently, when the ship 
has reached the end of the journey, before which every one 
would seem to have become used to the sea, " strangers " will 
be observed leaving the vessel. One cannot help thinking the 
ship has stopped during the night hours and taken on passengers 
from the main. This is explained by some voyagers keeping 
to their cabins from the time of sailing. 

Seasickness is largely responsible for this perplexing phase 
of water travel. Women are more affected than men, and the 
man who will discover a remedy for seasickness will find his 
name immortalized. Many women will travel for weeks on 
the water so sick they cannot raise their heads, yet not a com- 

3 



4 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

plaining word will be uttered by most of them. This form of 
bravery seems to be the only comforting thing that accompanies 
the sea wreaking out its vengeance on womankind. 

Six days after leaving Sandy Hook found us in Liverpool, 
England. Passengers disembarked early in the forenoon, who, 
having heard so much of England's dull atmosphere, were all 
surprised to find the sun shining. The orb was of a vapory 
appearance, though, which suggested that perhaps it had been 
on a sea voyage also, as there was a marked resemblance be- 
tween the appearance of the sun and some of the passengers 
who had undergone a sick trip across. Most of us boarded a 
train for London. 

Railway train service in England is fast, the speed on main 
lines being from 45 to 50 miles an hour. The passenger 
coaches are of compartment design, which are comfortable to 
ride in when only half filled, or four persons to a compartment ; 
but when from six to eight passengers — the latter number 
being the full seating capacity — occupy one compartment, 
travel proves very uncomfortable, as there is no room to stretch 
one's legs in any direction, since the passengers sitting on one 
side face those seated on the other side. It is a case of knees 
to knees. Railroad fare is two and three cents a mile; a 
higher rate is charged for hauling freight in England than that 
prevailing in America. Food, however, is cheaper than on 
American trains. 

The locomotives are small — some of them not half the ton- 
nage of the American engine — but the driving wheels reach 
to the top of the boiler, which accounts for the high speed 
schedules of the English railroads. One misses the ringing of 
the locomotive bell, as there are no bells on English engines. 
Another feature of the English railroads that seems odd to an 
American is the small freight cars, which in some instances are 
not one-third as large as some of the American cars and trucks. 
Trains in England have not the solid appearance of the Ameri- 
can train, for the reason that their wheels are not like the 
American wheel, but have spokes, like those of a wheelbarrow. 
The convenience a union railway station affords the traveling 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 5 

public, found in many cities of America, is much missed when 
visiting the metropolis of England. Naturally, numerous rail- 
ways center in London, and the terminus of each seems to have 
been located as widely apart from each other as the boundaries 
of the city will allow. None of the stations seen here can 
favorably compare with those found in the larger cities of the 
United States. 

The cleanliness of London's streets is the first impression 
one has of the premier city of Europe. And how obliging the 
public conveyance employees are ; and the policemen, also. It is 
a pleasure to go about in London, as every one seems willing 
to answer questions, to point out to a stranger places of in- 
terest, and to make one comfortable in every sense of the word. 

" London traffic," a feature of this city one often hears men- 
tioned, is accounted for, to a large degree, by the absence of 
surface car lines or elevated railroads coursing the streets of 
London City proper, and also to the narrowness of many of 
the main thoroughfares. With such an immense population, 
one can infer the great demand placed upon 'buses, public 
hacks, taxicabs and private vehicles, which at once suggests 
light-tire traffic. Heavy trucks, loaded with all sorts of mer- 
chandise, are not seen in corresponding sections of London as 
one finds them in populous American centers. In the sub- 
ways, or tubes, are but two tracks, which prohibit, of course, 
fast travel. On the other hand, sixteen underground rail- 
ways intersect the city and suburbs. The atmosphere of a 
subway is perhaps a more cosmopolitan phase than any other of 
our industrial factors. Were a blind person — one familiar 
with our underground railway odors — to sail from New York 
for Europe, being ignorant of the presence of subways there, 
and later, in London or Paris, find himself at the entrance of 
a " tube," he would at once know he was at the approach of 
a subway by the presence of the smell, as a similar atmosphere 
emanates from all of them. 

• Street car fare is higher for long distances than in most 
American cities. Though short distance rides are cheaper, 
some of the five cent rides in America would cost fifteen cents 



6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

in London. Motor 'buses, which are numerous, go a certain 
distance for two cents, but the next " stage " is another two- 
cent charge, and by the time eight or ten miles are traveled one 
will have paid from lo to 15 cents. Most public conveyances 
are double decked. Electric trolley cars are operated outside 
of London City proper, and the fare on these is similar to that 
charged by the 'buses. One can ride a long distance in a cab 
for 25 cents, however. 

Newspapers here generally have not the attractive nor the 
prosperous appearance of those in the United States. Until 
recently most of the London dailies sold for two cents, and even 
more. Periodicals and books also are more expensive in Great 
Britain, although the average wages paid artisans in this in- 
dustry is about half those paid in America. Mechanics en- 
gaged in other trades received from $11 to $15 weekly, and 
consequently the British mechanic in America doubles the salary 
of his own country, plus other advantages. House rent, gen- 
erally paid weekly, runs from $3.50 to $5. Most of the work- 
ing people of London live in the suburbs, and are charged but 
half price — about 8 cents — for return railway tickets if 
bought for trains reaching the city before 8 o'clock in the morn- 
ing. The government collects an income tax on all yearly 
salaries of $600 and over. 

It looks strange to American visitors in London to see only 
boys engaged in keeping the streets clean. One may not quite 
agree with the practice of boys doing that sort of work — for 
the reason it looks as if men should be engaged at such employ- 
ment — but the fact remains the streets are very clean. The 
sweepings are not put in cans, as is customary in some American 
cities, where they might be tipped over by mischievous boys, 
but iron bins are placed in the sidewalk close to the curb, into 
which the refuse is emptied. This custom seems much better 
than the American system. 

Seen drawn about the streets here, close to the curb, is what 
one would call a street sprinkler. It is a sprinkler, but the 
liquid running from the pipes is a disinfectant, a carbolic acid 
odor being noticeable. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 7 

The sale of matches by persons who seem to be in needy 
circumstances, seen at almost every corner of the business sec- 
tions of the city, leads one to think that they must be used even 
for stove fuel. The proportion of poorly dressed people is 
much larger than in American cities. Any of the homeless who 
apply for shelter are provided with sleeping accommodation by 
the authorities. 

The price of food in a similar class of restaurants seemed 
more expensive in London than in New York. At a second 
class hotel where I stopped the rate was $1.25 for room and 
breakfast, but heat was not included. A fireplace in the room 
contained smoky, bituminous coal, and to have this lighted cost 
25 cents. So with the room, fire and breakfast, the charge 
came to $1.50 a day. 

Chairs are scattered about the London parks, and an Ameri- 
can naturally thinks seats in public places are free, as in the 
United States; but one is not sitting long before a man appears 
and asks for a " check." The person resting then learns that 
it costs two cents to occupy a chair in these places. The 
benches, however, are free, but these are few compared to the 
number found in American parks. Similar conditions will be 
met with in some of the parks of Berlin, and also in Paris, but 
the resting places in the French capital are more liberally sup- 
plied with free seats. 

Many men may be seen in London wearing a " plug " hat, 
a sack coat and trousers turned up to the ankles. Those en- 
gaged at clerical employment usually wear this sort of head- 
gear to the office. Mechanics, also, boast of a " stove-pipe " 
in their wardrobes. While the high hat may be retained by 
some artisans as a memento of their wedding day, still many 
may be seen worn by this class of breadwinner when attending 
church services. 

No people spend less time in public eating and drinking 
places than Americans. In Continental Europe they have their 
cafes, chairs and tables inside the buildings and out on the 
sidewalks and streets, and these are used to a large extent as 
offices by patrons, as proprietors furnish writing paper and ink 



8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

to customers. In England they have their tea rooms, where 
men sit and sip tea and smoke their pipes for hours. Cake or 
scones are usually served with tea, an additional charge being 
made. 

To no people more than Americans have so many heirlooms 
of memory been handed down by England. How the serious 
thought of one is aroused by a visit to Westminster Abbey or 
St. Paul's Cathedral; how youthful days stand before one, so 
to speak, when a visit is made to London Bridge, Hyde Park, 
the Tower, the great British Museum, or to historic places in 
and about the city where great Englishmen lived and died. 

Hearing so much of the English Parliament building, 
one is led to believe that he will see the best legislative 
structure in the world when his eyes rest on this historical 
edifice. He may see in his mind's eye an imposing structure of 
white marble or granite built on an elevated plot of land, as 
most Capitols are, rich with ornamentation and strikingly im- 
posing. But, on the contrary, the building, located on the 
River Thames, is rather mediaeval in appearance. America is 
far behind some of the European countries in art galleries, good 
roads, docks, and splendid cathedrals, but there are features of 
the United States which neither Europe nor other divisions 
of the world can equal. For instance, no capitol can com- 
pare with the admirable appearance of the United States' 
legislative building; in no country will one find such splendid 
municipal parks as are found in some American cities. We 
have not seen Hagenbeck's Zoo in Hamburg, Germany, but, 
apart from that city, Bronx Zoo in New York is foremost of 
those seen in other cities; the Museum of Natural History in 
Gotham is unexcelled; our great bridges are unequaled; the 
interior of the Congressional Library in Washington, D. C, 
will stand comparison with any, and the inspiring Washington 
Monument, also located in the national capital, stands alone 
when dealing with campaniles, towers, and pagodas. To the 
foregoing " prides " of the new world may be added towering 
Mariposa Big Tree Grove, peerless Yosemite Valley, won- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 9 

derful Yellowstone Park and the marvelous Grand Canyon of 

Arizona. ,, , . „ 

After a short stay in London we boarded a boat train 
— an English travel convenience — for Southampton, from 
which port the steamship on which we had booked passage 
sailed for South America. 



CHAPTER II 

On reaching the Bay of Biscay a storm was encountered, the 
decks being vacated by passengers and the cabin berths made 
use of for some time. During the night sounds were heard 
at intervals that reminded one of a large tree falling. The 
piano in the social hall had been forced loose from its fastening 
by the rolling and pitching of the ship, and while in what might 
be termed its periods of tantrum the big musical instrument 
seemed bent on smashing all the furniture " in the house." 
Most of the passengers were awake, and a great many were 
inquiring if the ship was breaking to pieces. 

Those starting on long journeys should provide themselves 
with a passport. One may travel for years through certain 
sections of the world and not be called upon to show his na- 
tional voucher to verify his identity; yet it is a good thing to 
have one in one's possession. One may be taken into custody 
in some foreign city through mistaken identity, or be detained 
in other ways, when a passport would clear matters at once 
with small inconvenience and little delay, compared to much 
uneasiness and considerable time lost, if one has neglected to 
include in his traveling outfit this means of identification. 
Again, when visiting a consulate, one will not have conversed 
with the officials long before he will be asked, directly or in- 
directly, if he has his passport with him. If the visitor should 
not have one, the conversation is usually of a casual nature. 
On the other hand, if the visitor has his government's creden- 
tials, an interesting chat will often result, during which in- 
formation may be gathered of the character of the country he 
is traveling in that would not be volunteered to an American 
who had failed to identify himself with the standard voucher. 
When leaving the consulate, the person with a passport is gen- 
erally invited to " call any time while in the city." Further- 

10 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS ii 

more, if the assistance of a consul were needed in any con- 
tingency, that government officer, if he should not care to offer 
a helping hand, may evade a reasonable duty, and defend his 
actions behind the fact that the " alleged " American did not 
have a passport. If the person in need of official assistance 
had this means of identification, that same officer, fearing he 
would be later called upon by his government to explain why 
he neglected to do his duty, would exert himself and lend aid 
to his countryman. An American with a passport in foreign 
lands has a better standing with his government's representa- 
tives than a citizen who has not provided himself with one. 

Being good for only two years, and not generally recognized 
after that time, in order to keep in good standing with his 
country, one must, if living in foreign parts, have his passport 
renewed or extended. Only in exceptional circumstances is a 
consul allowed to issue passports ; these must come from Wash- 
ington. A consul may extend one, however, for an additional 
two years ; but the passport cannot be extended more than once. 
Application should be made to the Secretary of State, Washing- 
ton, D. C, when tv^^o blanks — native and naturalized — will 
be sent to the applicant. If a native, he fills out the native 
blank and will have the contents sworn to before a notary 
public. The verified blank will then be sent to the Secretary 
of State, when a passport will soon reach the applicant. The 
charge is one dollar, plus the notary's fee. 

" I wish I had one of those fat, juicy beefsteaks that I was 
served with while traveling across America," said a Portuguese 
woman globe-trotter, as some of us, like chickens after rain, 
began to appear on deck when the storm had subsided. " I 
never ate beefsteak in any country that tasted as good as those 
I got in America," she added, with a perceptible smacking of 
her lips. She wasn't the only one who wished they had a 
succulent piece of American beefsteak. But the commissary of 
the ship had little to do while traveling from Cape Ushant to 
Cape Finistierre — the former marking the north and the latter 
the south boundaries of the Bay of Biscay, 365 miles across. 

At Lisbon, Portugal, the chilling winds of the north and the 



12 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

raw weather were succeeded by soft, south breezes and warm 
sunshine. Entering the Tagus River on our way to the Portu- 
guese capital, we passed a commanding fort, the banks green 
with grass and vegetables. Reaching the city, women in their 
bare feet and none too tidy, bearing heavy burdens on their 
heads, mostly in baskets — fish, vegetables, coal, flowers, and 
other marketable commodities — revealed a condition in South- 
ern Europe not pleasant to contemplate, and which is seen in 
few countries of Continental Europe. The first suggestion of 
the tropics was had at Lisbon, by reason of a great many of the 
people, dark skinned, appearing in thin clothing and bare feet. 
Verdure was growing on every side — it was the month of 
February. 

Travelers cannot fail to show a slight weakness for the 
small Latin country, for Portugal was the home of Vasco da 
Gama, the explorer — a really great traveler — whose daring 
achievements late in the fifteenth century laid the foundation 
of an empire, and who discovered places and countries we are to 
visit later. 

" Look ! " said a man w^earing the cloth of a church official, 
who was showing a number of visitors around a Lisbon ca- 
thedral. We were in the crypt, where, in expensive coffins, 
rested the remains of some of the distinguished dead of Portu- 
gal. He had opened the lid of a casket and invited his visitors 
to look inside. To our astonishment, in the gruesome light, 
our eyes rested on the crumbling remains of a personage who, 
the official said, had passed away a long time before. More 
coffin lids were turned back, and in the boxes were seen, in the 
murky light, the grim, long outline of a human being. iWe 
had never known any one to go so far to obtain a fee. 

American-made street cars are in use in the Portuguese 
capital, and were easily recognized from those manufactured 
in other countries, as the American car is single, while those of 
other countries are mostly of a double-decked pattern. 

Pavement of dark gray and white colored stone in that city 
looks odd, laid at twisting angles. A plaza is paved entirely 
with this deceptive stone, which sailors call ** Rolling Motion 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 13 

Square." This square is located close to the wharf, and sail- 
ors, having finished their shore leave and returning to their 
ship, usually find trouble in getting ofE " Rolling Motion 
Square." 

Egg soup is a delicacy made in Lisbon. When served, it 
resembles consomme, with halves of a hard-boiled egg swim- 
ming in the dish. 

The business section of Lisbon is built between two high 
hills, which necessitates using an elevator, in some instances, if 
one is going from the center to the higher part of the city. The 
buildings are of stone and brick, faced with cement. One of 
the most attractive avenues in the world runs through the com- 
mercial district of the city. This boulevard is unusually wide, 
the center comprising a broad park place, with roadways of a 
good width on each side. Nearly half a million people com- 
pose the population of this Latin capital. Portugal was a 
Roman province as early as 200 B. C. 

Funchal, Madeira Island, located about 450 miles west of 
the Moroccan coast, was next reached, being favored with a 
good sea from Lisbon, the first since leaving Southampton. 
This place, with a population of 20,000, is the chief port of 
Madeira, and its attractiveness — flowers, vines, spreading 
trees, climate and tidy appearance — proves a magnet to many 
Europeans who seek rest and recreation. 

A strange and unusual public " hack " here arrests one's 
attention. This vehicle, covered with canvas and drawn by 
oxen, is really a sleigh, although it is doubtful if a flake of snow 
has ever fallen in this section. The runners, as those of a 
snow sled, are shod with strips of steel, which are pulled over 
streets paved with cobblestone. When ready to start, the 
driver says a word to the oxen, and off they go, the sleigh glid- 
ing over the paving nearly as smoothly as if drawn over snow. 
The steel runners, passing over them for years, have worn the 
stones quite smooth, even slippery in some instances, hence the 
practicability of the sleigh-hack. 

, Madeira Island, termed the Pearl of the Atlantic, a Portu- 
guese possession, has an area of 315 square miles, and is 35 



14 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

miles long and 12 wide. It is very productive of fruit — 
oranges, lemons, figs, pomegranates, pears, peaches and grapes. 
The island is more noted for its good climate and vi^ines, how- 
ever, most of the inhabitants being engaged in the grape growing 
industry. The United States came to the fore in 1871 by 
saving the grapevines here, which were being destroyed by a 
pest. The American grapevine stock was introduced and 
grafted to the native stump, which withstood the attacks of 
phylloxera. 

Funchal is a sea junction, as most of the passenger steam- 
ships plying between Europe and South American ports stop 
at this place. Passengers coming north from South America 
and going to South Africa come to Madeira, and those coming 
from South Africa and going to South America also transship 
at this island. 

Getting a glimpse of the places mentioned in the foregoing 
will account for one traveling from the United States to South 
America by way of England. The fare was also cheaper for 
the same accommodation than by going direct from New York. 

We regretfully return to our ship, there being no more stops 
for eight days, as we are to recross the Atlantic Ocean di- 
agonally. The big vessel, with a crowded passenger list and 
loaded to the water line with cargo, was headed toward the 
equatorial line, sailing on a velvety sea. Sailors were busy 
stretching canvas over the decks to make the hot weather soon 
to be encountered more bearable, while the electric fans in the 
cabins were being put in order. Every one had settled down 
for the sail to Pernambuco, Brazil, the next port. 

During the trip British third-class passengers enjoyed the 
benefits of the good maritime laws of their country, while pas- 
sengers from other countries traveling in the same section of 
the ship did not fare so well. Britishers were allowed priv- 
ileges on a portion of the upper deck, as provided by law, while 
third-class passengers who embarked at ports south of South- 
ampton remained on the third-class deck. 

It is surprising how time slips by during long voyages, and 
it is interesting to note the national grouping of travelers. The 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 15 

French passengers will be found assembled on a certain portion 
of the deck, the Spaniards likewise, also Germans — each na- 
tionality generally keeping to itself. Our breakfast was ready 
at 8 o'clock, and a light lunch served two and a half hours 
later. Ship inspection usually takes place at from 10 to 11 
o'clock in the forenoon, the captain, the purser, the doctor or 
the chief steward being the officers who form this committee. 
Each deck is visited, when the dining saloons, kitchens, berths, 
bedding and other furnishings of the cabins generally receive 
the critical attention of the inspectors. Passengers having com- 
plaints to make or suggestions to offer concerning ship condi- 
tions may do so at this time. At half-past twelve dinner was 
ready. In the second class section mealtimes are designated 
as breakfast, dinner and supper; in the first-class, breakfast, 
luncheon and dinner. When ready, these are generally an- 
nounced by ringing a bell, beating a gong, or by bugle call. 
Many passengers take a nap in their cabins after dinner, and, 
if not in the cabin, one is pretty sure to find them in the Land 
of Nod in their steamer chair on deck ; others read a great deal 
and divide the time with sleep. The sleepers are sometimes 
hurriedly awakened from their slumbers, however, as what is 
termed *' fire practice " takes place several times a week on well- 
conducted ships. Bells clang, without warning; the ship's 
whistle blows shrill blasts; sailors, stewards and officers hurry 
to the lifeboats to which they had been assigned before sailing, 
which are soon raised from their davits, swung outward, and 
lowered at the sides of the vessel ; members of the crew may be 
seen wearing life-saving devices, and the passengers generally 
give evidence of anxious concern on such occasions until they 
learn it is but a " fire drill " that is being enacted instead of the 
ship being really afire. Beef tea was served in the cool climate 
and ices when the hot zones were reached between noontime 
and supper. Light lunch — generally cheese and crackers and 
tea — was served between the evening meal and bedtime. 
Music was furnished twice a day by an orchestra. Religious 
services — those of the Church of England — on British pas- 
senger steamships are made obligatory by maritime law. On 



i6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Sunday mornings many of the passengers attended, which took 
place in the social hall of the first-class section, the ritual being 
read by the captain or purser. Most of the ship's crew must 
be present, some of whom generally lead the singing and furnish 
the music. It often happens, however, preachers are among 
the travelers, when one of them will be invited to preach. 
First class passengers are expected to appear in evening dress 
for dinner on vessels of some of the popular British lines run- 
ning to far Southern ports. 

So far as bird life is concerned, the sea is a graveyard when 
sailing through the equatorial zone. All fowl leave the ship 
when the sun gets hot and the breezes become warm. The 
only winged life appearing in this hot section of the sea wa^ 
flying fish, sometimes hundreds of them rising from the water 
at the same time. These fish are from four to ten inches in 
length, slender, and resemble young mackerel. They spring 
from the sea by a quick stroke of the tail, and, with fins out- 
spread, are able to sustain and prolong their leap for a minute 
or more. The fins measure several inches across and become 
transparent in the sun, but do not flap like the wings of a bird. 
As the fish rise only from six inches to a few feet from the 
water, their flight, in a choppy or rough ocean, is generally not 
more than from two to twenty feet, as they disappear on coming 
in contact with a wave. On a calm sea, however, their isin- 
glass-like " wings " will often remain outstretched for a distance 
of a hundred yards or so, when the fish will dart into the water 
as suddenly as they emerged from it. 

** Neptune " is a " game " played only at sea, and the " sport " 
is generally indulged in when a passenger steamship is sail- 
ing under the equator. A canvas tank is fixed on deck and 
nearly filled with water. It is an unvarying rule with some 
travelers that one who has not crossed the equator must be 
" Neptuned." A " coaster," as one is termed who has never 
crossed the equatorial line, is reminded by the Simon-pures 
that, in order to be a full-fledged traveler, he must take a plunge 
in the canvas tank. Most passengers who are not sick comply 
with the request, but there are some who do not take kindly to 




Southern Cross. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 17 

the idea. In such instances a half dozen, or a dozen passengers 
if necessary, bend the will of the unwilling one to their idea 
of maintaining this tradition of the sea by literally picking up 
the unbeliever and pitching him into the canvas tank of water. 
He then has been " Neptuned." Danger of taking cold from 
this outdoor plunge is slight, as often the tar in the cracks 
between boards on deck of the ship is bubbling from the intense 
rays of the sun. 

Having reached the southern division of the world, the heav- 
enly bodies forming the Southern Cross appear. The cross is 
not composed of a thickly starred upright beam, neither is there 
a compact panel of stars forming the crosspiece. Four stars 
located at certain sections of the heavens form a distinct outline 
of a cross. The great crucifix at times appears to be standing 
straight, but more often it will be seen in the heavens in a 
reclining position, so to speak ; again it will be observed resting 
on its side, but never pointing downward. The section of the 
sky in which the cross is to be found is the southeast. At one 
season of the year it will rest near the center of the firmament 
and in the "Milky Way " ; at another period it will be seen 
closer to the horizon. Lesser bodies appear in the zone 
embraced by the four stars that compose the profile of the ensign 
of Christianity, but these neither add to nor detract from the 
formation of the solemn emblem of suffering that stands out so 
clearly among the millions of orbs in the starry firmament. 
Two bright stars below, in direct line with the bottom star of 
the cross, are called " the pointers." 

What a difference is at once apparent in the period of day- 
light north of the equator and that south of the equatorial line. 
From a slow setting sun and a lingering twilight north of the 
great line to a rapidly setting sun and a comparatively short 
twilight south of the equator is observed. Fifteen to twenty 
minutes after the sun sets darkness will have settled. 

" Holy stoning a ship " is a nautical term that, when first 
heard by a landsman, arouses his curiosity concerning the par- 
ticular duty the phrase suggests in a sailor's routine. A holy 
stone — somewhat larger than two bricks placed together, of 



i8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

cream color and of a soft or sandy material — is used to whiten 
the deck of a ship. Most persons would conclude that a thor- 
ough washing of a deck with clear water should satisfy one 
possessed of even super-neat exactions. But a sailor's concep- 
tion of the terra " spick and span " does not end in this matter 
with the merit of water alone. The holy stone is secured in 
an iron frame similar to that of a house mop, with handle 
attached. It is also pushed forward and pulled backward when 
used to clean a deck in the same way that a mop is used to clean 
a floor. The deck is made wet before " stoning," then 
sprinkled with fine white sand, and is next thoroughly gone 
over with the " cleaner." When the sailor has finished his 
hard " scrubbing " task the deck appears many shades brighter 
than it would if only water had been used. The term " holy 
stone " is said to have originated through the first stones used in 
bleaching ship decks having been taken from the ruined walls 
of a church in Cornwall, England. 



CHAPTER III 

Security of life in an Indian's bark canoe, even when going 
over river rapids, would seem assured, compared to the chances 
against one being able to keep his feet on a Brazilian catamaran 
sailing on the broad ocean. Men stand on two logs tied 
together, these about a foot each in diameter and from eight to 
ten feet in length, the upper side flat, with a small pole fastened 
in one of the logs, to which is secured a piece of canvas — as 
flimsy a sample of sea craft as one may see in a lifetime. No 
provision being made for a seat on the shaky and risky " boat " 
— no room for one, in fact — it seemed dangerous to sail it 
even on a small lake ; yet a number of these were seen skimming 
over the sea several miles outside the harbor of Pernambuco, 
Brazil. 

We had reached South America at the beginning of March, 
which is Northern August south of the equator. The winter 
season of the year in the northern is the summer in the southern 
division of the world. 

Passengers leaving the vessel entered a large basket by a door. 
When six persons had got inside, the winches on the ship began 
to revolve, raising the basket high enough to clear the deck rail, 
and the passengers were slowly lowered to a lighter below. 
Chug! They had reached the bottom, and if any of the trav- 
elers had their tongue between their teeth at that moment it 
would be safe to infer that that member had suffered from the 
bump. This carrier was six feet deep, made of reed or wicker, 
and was kept in shape and supported by circular iron bands, like 
the hoops round a barrel, which, in this case, were inside the 
basket. Passengers embark by the same means. Crude and 
odd devices of this sort lend spice to travel. 

Bahia, the oldest city in Brazil, was the next stop. At this 

19 



20 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

port no basket was used for disembarking, passengers leaving 
the ship by a side ladder and being taken ashore in launches. 
An unusual number of men seemed to board the vessel, and 
later, when the gong sounded for visitors to go ashore, most of 
them left with their pockets bulging with goods bought aboard. 
Pertaining to this, an amusing feature came to light — the cus- 
tom officers, who had been stationed at the gangway and other 
parts of the ship to prevent smuggling, seemingly not noticing 
the difference in the girth of a man on leaving the vessel to 
that when he boarded her. 

Sailing on the same smooth sea on which we had started from 
Madeira Island ten days before, Rio de Janeiro, the capital and 
metropolis of Brazil, was reached later. 

The harbor of this city is considered the finest in the 
world. The noted haven is entered by a deep channel, three- 
quarters of a mile wide, flanked by two imposing stone 
mountains, rising nearly 1,300 and i,ioo feet, respectively. 
Tropical vegetation grows luxuriantly on the shores, and 
beyond a circle of high, evergreen mountains offer an unusually 
fascinating foreground. The harbor is sixteen miles long and 
from two to seven miles wide, this area being dotted with over 
a hundred islands, also heavily verdured with a tropical 
growth. One feature, however, robs Rio de Janeiro and her 
harbor of a scenic climax. To the left, on which side of the bay 
the city stands, rise low hills, which shut from view, until 
opposite the wharves, what otherwise would reveal a panorama 
of the metropolis in keeping with that of the fame of the harbor. 
One is at a loss to account for the absence of docks here, con- 
sidering this city has a population of nearly a million inhabitants 
and is the commercial center of Brazil. 

Before, and also after, the ship anchored in the bay, where a 
large number of passengers left, the deafening noise made by 
hack barkers and hotel runners, shouting from boats below, 
exceeded anything of this nature heard elsewhere. Here it was 
a medley of whistles on yachts, launches and similar craft, 
together with blasts from horns, a racket from other noise- 
making devices, and the raucous voices of fruit vendors, crying 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 21 

their wares from rowboats. For a quarter of a mile about the 
vessel hundreds of small craft were bumping into each other, 
their owners cursing and shouting at those in approaching boats 
who sought a more advantageous place where a fare might come 
their way; in no place in the world, one would feel safe in 
saying, could there be more turmoil and confusion under similar 
circumstances. No one seemed to be in charge; every one was 
bending his every effort for a fare. Evidently a great deal of 
revenue would be cut off from a considerable number of the 
population of Rio were the government to build docks. 

Having read of cholera in Rio years before would lead one 
to entertain a belief that he is entering an unclean city, and the 
great number of blacks and half-castes one sees before he gets 
off the ship suggests nothing to the contrary. But, when in the 
city proper, what a surprise one meets with. No place is better 
supplied with small parks than this metropolis, and public con- 
veniences and sanitation in general, which are so essential to the 
physical welfare of a people, are creditable features. To be 
sure, the old part is of Spanish style — brick and cement houses, 
with narrow streets. The object in building narrow streets is 
to foil the sun — to keep cool — as the narrower they are the 
more shade is cast. One will soon notice the difference in 
comfort when walking between narrow or wide streets in hot 
climates — the narrow, shady ones will be given the preference. 
Only one vehicle can travel in a street, and for this reason 
traffic passes through one and returns by another. They are 
one-way streets. Two persons moving in opposite directions 
can just manage to pass without one of them stepping off 
the walk. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in South 
America, and good management of this tropical center was in 
evidence. 

Looking down Avenue Central, one of the principal thor- 
oughfares, composed largely of business buildings, a scene of 
architectural beauty is revealed rivaling any metropolis in the 
world. No street cars run on this avenue, but brightly painted, 
well designed, small motor 'buses are in use. The artistic effect 
reflected by the arrangement of lights and trees is in keeping 



22 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

in every detail with the admirable designs of the buildings on 
each side. A municipal theater on this street, prominent by its 
striking exterior ornamentation, together with handsome gov- 
ernment buildings, add greatly to the attractiveness of Avenue 
Central. To an American the street view at the head not only 
equals the lower portion, but is enhanced, for there stands the 
Monroe Palace, a memorial to James Monroe, whose name is 
immortalized as the father of the Monroe Doctrine, serving as 
a fitting cap-sheaf, and at the same time infusing patriotic senti- 
ment to the harmonious foreground and attractive environ- 
ments. From Monroe Palace, which is shaded by trees grow- 
ing in a beautiful park at the side, Avenue Central verges into 
a long boulevard, built alongside the walled harbor, fringed in 
places with rows of palm trees, fifty to sixty feet high; under 
tropical verdured hills, with parks, flowers and shade trees 
bordering the thoroughfare to the shore of the Atlantic Ocean. 

This palm tree of Rio is the highest we have seen either of 
nut-bearing or non-nut-bearing species. The trunks are smooth, 
straight and round, free of limbs, and gradually taper to their 
full height, where a circle of fronds branch broadly from every 
side. Standing between these tropical, sentinel-like columns, 
high above the spectator will be seen an arch formed of long, 
broad leaves. As some of these double rows of palms extend 
for considerable distances, this light-green archway grows more 
enchanting as, down the pillared vista, the fringed-frond arcade 
gradually lowers and contracts until the trees converge into a 
narrow bower. The symmetrical finish to the towering palms 
of Rio will remain in one's mind long after other of Nature's 
masterpieces, of equal merit but differing in form, will have 
been forgotten. 

American money and enterprise have added much to the mod- 
ern public utilities of Rio, for the street car and lighting systems 
are headed by Americans. " Bond " is the name for street cars 
here. To raise capital to construct the system bonds were 
issued, and as the word bond was much used before construction 
began, the Brazilians, when the cars started running, called 
them ** bonds." 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 23 

The Portuguese language is used in the Brazilian republic. 
But what a mixed population these Brazilians are! Most of 
them are dark-skinned and the greater number are black. 
From observation, there seems to be little or no distinction 
between the races. Yet this race possesses a knowledge rarely 
displayed by others in erecting buildings suited in every respect 
for business purposes, and in giving them an artistic finish at 
the same time. Immigrants from many countries have settled 
in this republic during the last decade. 

European customs are strongly in evidence, the most notice- 
able being lounging about cafes. The habit of living on the 
sidewalk and in the street outside of cafes is the same here as that 
which strikes one as being strange on his first visit to Paris and 
other places in Continental Europe. One often has to maneu- 
ver his way through little iron-legged tables and chairs, used for 
refreshments. Some of the patrons are seen sipping black coffee 
from cups no larger than half an eggshell ; others may be found 
drinking vari-colored liquids, of which there is a great variety, 
and many will have cigarettes between their lips or between 
their fingers. Still one cannot fail to note the improvement 
these cafes are on the American saloon. There are no back 
door entrances to these places ; no front doors closed ; no curtains 
— everything open and above board. And, as with Europeans, 
seldom is a person seen intoxicated or disorderly. Prosperity is 
suggested by crowded cafes, for refreshments in Rio are 
expensive. 

Women seem to have an easy time in Brazil, in the capital, at 
least, for men are seen looking after rooms in hotels, sweeping, 
dusting — doing general housework. 

Two meals a day seem to be all the Brazilians desire. A cup 
of coffee is taken early in the morning, as the regular time for 
breakfast is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dinner is served 
from 5 to 7 :30 o'clock in the evening. 

Everything one buys in the Brazilian metropolis is expensive. 
Manufactures are few — almost everything is imported, and the 
customs duty is exorbitant. Street car fare, even, is double that 
charged in most large cities. Small articles costing from ten to 



24 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

fifteen cents in the United States cost a milrei in Rio. Very 
few things can be had for less than 33 cents. Soda water and 
other soft drinks generally cost from 9 to 12 cents. 

The Portuguese money system — reis and milreis — is that 
of Brazil. The value of a milrei in American money is 33 
cents, and a rei is equal to one-thirtieth of a cent. In financial 
figures the dollar mark is used to denote milreis, but is placed 
between the figures instead of in front — thus: io$ooo. 
Money is on the decimal system, i ,CK)0 reis making a milrei. 

One unaccustomed to Portuguese money is apt to feel per- 
plexed when presented with a bill for 50 cents. This is how a 
50 cent dinner bill would look: i$50o. The figure i represents 
a milrei — 33 cents — and the 500 is 500 reis — half a milrei 
— 16% cents. One hundred reis is three cents in American 
money. Only among the poorer class are coins of less than 100 
reis in use. Paper bills are used for a milrei and larger sums. 
The coins are mostly of nickel. 

At Sao Paulo, over three hundred miles from Rio, woolen 
and cotton mills have been established, and so far have proved 
a good investment. English money is represented in this indus- 
try. American money and machinery figure largely in the 
development of the ore mines of that large country, so with 
English capital erecting mills and American money opening and 
developing mines business development is assured. Brazil pro- 
duces three-quarters of the world's annual consumption of 
coffee. Rubber is another staple product of this republic. 

The tropical scenery about Rio adds much to the attractive- 
ness of the capital of Brazil. High hills and mountains almost 
circle both the harbor and city, and from these elevated points 
one looks down through a dense growth of trees bearing flowers, 
large blooming vines, wide-leaved palms, and clumps of high, 
swaying bamboo — an expansive botanical garden — on to the 
thousands of gray houses, with their red-tiled roofs. Similar 
scenes and objects, attractive when viewed from less favored 
vistas, seen through a tropical foreground, assume an enchanted 
charm. 

Though very little English printing is done here, a number of 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 25 

good Portuguese daily newspapers are published, the offices being 
equipped with linotype machines, web presses and stereotyping 
machinery. The wages paid workers in this trade range from 
$25 to $30 a week. As there is little manufacturing in Brazil, 
and the tariff is so exorbitant on imports, together with high 
dwelling rentals, $30 a week would not be considered good 
wages in America under such conditions. 

One seldom sees a Brazilian carrying bundles in his hands — 
such as valises, etc. The people who make their living at that 
sort of work carry a strap with them, which is thrown over the 
shoulder. If two valises are to be borne, one is placed in front 
and the other at the back, each fastened to the end of the strap. 

Church bells here, as in the City of Mexico, are ringing in 
most parts of the city all the time. 

As a rule good photographs exaggerate and flatter objects, but 
when looking at a picture associated with Rio de Janeiro, no 
matter how pretty and artistic it may appear, one should not 
discount the picture as being overdrawn, for Rio would very 
likely carry away the honors if entered in a " beautiful city " 
exhibit. 

At Santos, another coffee mart of Brazil, enterprise was in 
evidence when our ship drew up to a dock. This was the first 
dock the ship pulled alongside of since leaving Southampton, 
England. Santos is also the port for Sao Paulo. From this 
place we continue southward. 

Twelve hundred miles south of Rio, Montevideo, Uruguay, 
is located at the delta of the River Plate. This city is the 
capital of Uruguay. Most of the ships head for the River 
Plate, and a great many sailing southward and through the 
Straits of Magellan stop at this port, allowing passengers time 
to look about the city. The River Plate (La Plata in Span- 
ish) spreads out at this point to a width of a hundred miles. 
A great number of vessels sail up the Plate from time to time, 
and it ranks high in the list of waterways of the world. 

A glimpse of Montevideo revealed but little difference in 
architecture to that of the Spanish style — brick and mortar. 
Most of the dwelling houses are but one story in height, the 



26 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

outside steps and stairways, however, being of white marble, 
which gives the building a strikingly clean appearance. 

More than one night in this city is required to become used to 
the noise made by mouth whistles before a light sleeper can rest. 
These are blown by the police, who keep in touch with each 
other by this means. 

A striking feature of Montevideo to one who has been in 
Brazil is the large size of the Uruguayan. Deep-chested, 
broad-shouldered and of good height, he appears to possess 
double the strength of the Brazilian. While the people are of 
dark complexion, no blacks are seen. 

The money unit of Uruguay is higher than that of any. 
country in the world. It is known as the dollar, and its value 
is $1.04. 

Uruguay is a republic, its principal industry being agriculture 
and stock raising. Flattering inducements are offered by that 
government to immigrants who intend to make their home 
there. These are in the nature of giving land to homeseekers, 
the government even promising to stock the farms with cattle. 

How little some of us who pay but passing attention to sea 
commerce know of the tremendous volume of business carried 
over the world in vessels, and the long runs made. At Rio de 
Janeiro I left the ship that I sailed on from Southampton, 
England, and after several weeks' stay in the Brazilian capital 
continued my journey southward by another line, tickets being 
interchangeable. The ship from Rio that landed Argentine 
passengers at Montevideo proceeded southward to and through 
the Straits of Magellan, to Valparaiso, Chile; up the Pacific 
coast as far as Callao, the port for Lima, Peru, stopping at sev- 
eral places between, distributing passengers and cargo at each. 
From among the passengers Brazil, Uruguay, Argentine, Chile, 
Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru received its quota. From England 
to Callao six weeks' time was required to make the voyage. 
The manner in which these merchantmen slip in and out of 
bays, deep and shallow harbors, crawl up rivers and down again 
— into commercial nooks of every character — reminds one of 
the unexpected places to which the sun so often finds its way. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 27 

Passengers from Great Britain seemed to be in the majority of 
those traveling south of the equator. A greater number of men 
than women are always to be found, though almost every ship 
carries young women who will be on their way to meet and 
marry their fiances located in the interior of the South Ameri- 
can republics. 

Buenos Aires, capital of the Argentine republic, the New 
York of South America, is located 124 miles up the River Plate. 
Many entertain the opinion, gathered from newspaper accounts, 
that, 6,000 miles south of New York, there is a good-sized city 
— Buenos Aires, But what a diiference there is between read- 
ing about something and seeing it! It is said of a visitor that 
" a look at New York will knock his eye out," and to travel 
through the busy waterway of the big harbor of this South 
American metropolis, and look through the dense thicket of 
masts, spars, shrouds, ropes, pennants, flags and many-colored 
funnels from ships that stretch for miles about the outer and 
inner 'harbors, will surely cause one's eye to bulge with aston- 
ishment. Such an influx of merchantment visit this city at 
certain periods of the year that, for as long as three and four 
weeks, ships loll at anchor in the outer harbor before dock room 
can be made for unloading their cargoes. The dock system is 
good ; and one may gather an idea of the harbor space available 
when he learns the River Plate is thirty-five miles wide at 
Buenos Aires. Up to the interior of South America ships ply 
for 1,000 miles on the Plate to the Bolivian border, going up 
loaded and sailing away to sundry parts of the world with 
cargoes submerging the vessels to their water lines. It seemed 
that every ship sailing south of the equator on the western side 
of the Atlantic Ocean was headed for the River Plate or for 
other coast ports of the Argentine. 

A more intimate acquaintance with matters will reveal a 
Briton at the helm of those ships of industry or the hidden 
power behind the scene. Every passenger ship leaving a British 
port for the River Plate carries brain and brawn from Great 
Britain. English money figures prominently in the industrial 
advancement of the Argentine, upward of a billion dollars 



28 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

having been expended in building railways and developing the 
lands. The flower of Great Britain will be found engaged at 
farming, connected with shipping, railroads, banking, or other 
pursuits; and English advice on governmental legislation is 
often sought. 

In Buenos Aires one finds a busy city of nearly a million and 
three-quarters of people, largely of a cosmopolitan character. 
Sixteen big, well-printed daily newspapers of evening and morn- 
ing editions are published in this commercial center. Besides 
the native, or Spanish language, are those printed in the French, 
Italian, English, Swedish and other languages. The wages 
paid artisans engaged in this industry do not compare with those 
paid in the United States. The highest paid for newspaper 
work is $3.50 a day, but $2.50 is the general daily wage, paid 
monthly. Working time is seven and eight hours a day. On 
the other hand, living expenses are higher than in American 
cities. House rent is very high, and the price of food in ordi- 
nary restaurants is as high, and generally higher, than that 
charged in similar grade eating places in American cities. 
Anent cheap living in other countries, about which one hears 
so much in the United States, I have come to look upon such 
alleged facts as mythical, for, speaking generally, I have yet to 
come across them, and my unsuccessful search for these " much- 
cheaper " places has not been from lack of effort. 

The Argentine silver dollar is about the same value as the 
Mexican dollar — 44 cents. Another dollar is in use, however, 
pertaining to shipping, customs charges and government tariff 
of a general nature, known as the gold dollar, and is worth 96 
cents. But it is the 44-cent dollar that is in general use for 
retail purposes, wages, etc. 

The great number of street cars running through and about 
the city is in keeping with the large number of ships seen in the 
harbor. There are only two streets in the business district — 
and for a considerable distance beyond — on which street cars 
do not run. Any one who has lived in busy centers will natu- 
rally glance about when crossing streets, to see if the way is 
clear. But in Buenos Aires one must be on the alert for street 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 29 

cars even when walking along walks between the crossings. 
The Spanish system of laying out a town — narrow streets — 
is the rule in Buenos Aires, in the older section of the city. To 
build street car lines in the center of the streets would shut oflE 
vehicular traffic to a great extent, as there is not room for a 
truck and car to pass between the car line and the curb at the 
same time. The car tracks, therefore, are laid at the side 
of the street, by which plan car and vehicular traffic have room 
to move together, but only in one direction. To make 
matters worse, a " trailer," or two cars, are in use on many of 
the lines. A sidewalk fender is secured to the rear platform of 
the front car and to the forward platform of the " trailer." 
This device is formed of strips of steel, bowed half-barrel shape, 
which extends over the walk, and is attached to prevent pedes- 
trians from falling between the cars. The walks also are pro- 
portionately narrow, aflFording room for only two persons to 
pass at the same time. Were a person to become thoughtless or 
one's mind be occupied with something foreign to street traffic, 
while walking at the outer edge of the walk, or when stepping 
to one side to allow another to pass, the half-barrel shaped 
steel-strip fender is apt to scrape his leg. Being fearful of com- 
ing in contact with the fender at any moment when walking the 
streets prompts one to frequently look behind. 

Ten cents (Argentine money) is the fare, equaling four 
cents in American money. That sum will carry a passenger 
from one end of a car line to the other. By reason of the nar- 
row streets, the two-car system, and the great number of cars 
running on the different lines, tie-ups, turmoil and confusion 
result. On boarding a car, there is no telling when one will 
reach his destination. Improvements, hov,?ever, were in prog- 
ress. 

Among the park squares of Buenos Aires (termed "plazas" 
in Latin-speaking countries). Plaza de Mayo is perhaps the most 
popular, and the first laid out in the Southern metropolis. This 
plaza is located at one side of the business center of the city, 
with government buildings, hotels, a cathedral, and business 
houses fronting the four sides. Attractive palms adorn this 



30 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

pretty resting place, together with trees, shrubbery, flowers all 
the year round, lawns and good walks. Historical memories, 
dear to the Argentinian, however, prove of greater interest to 
the populace than that wrought by the landscape gardener, as in 
this section of the city in early days a decisive battle was fought 
with Britishers. At one side of the square stands a memorial 
shaft that marks the place of surrender to native forces by the 
invaders early in the nineteenth century. Within the city 
limits are six parks, a number of promenades, thirty-eight 
squares, and many public gardens. 

Avenida de Mayo is the promenade and show section of 
Buenos Aires. Starting at Plaza de Mayo, it extends for 
nearly a mile to Congreso, or Congress Hall. The Avenida is 
one of the two streets on which cars do not run, and is the only 
one of fair width in the busy center of the city. It is paved 
with asphalt, most of the others being paved with stone blocks. 
The best hotels line the Avenida, and the other buildings are of 
attractive appearance. Prizes are offered by the city for the 
best building designs, and the result of this municipal pride is 
frequently observed. Through the Continental custom of 
blocking the sidewalks in front of hotels and cafes with tables 
and chairs one often finds difficulty in walking. The park sys- 
tem of the city is creditable, and there are good boulevards in 
the suburbs. 

Here, too, as in Rio de Janeiro, one wonders what women do 
to occupy their time, as men make the beds, do the dusting, look 
after rooms, sweep the carpets, and do general household duties 
one is so accustomed to seeing women perform in North 
America. Neither is there any chance for a woman to earn her 
living working in eating places, as men seem to have made that 
source of livelihood a " closed shop " to women. 

The clumsy way the Argentinian hitches horses to a cart 
strikes one as odd. Carts, instead of trucks, are mostly in use. 
Often three or four horses will be attached to a cart — one 
horse between the shafts, and one hitched to the cart on each 
side of the shaft horse. The horse in the lead will precede the 
second horse by a space of from three to five feet, and the sec- • 




Plaza de Mayo (top) and Avenida de Mayo (bottom), 
Buenos Aires, Argentine. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 31 

ond horse will be in advance of the shaft horse the same dis- 
tance. How the animals can see is a puzzle, for a heavy leather 
fringe reaches from the top of the horse's head to the nose. 

To see men embracing each other, with radiant faces, strikes 
one from the North as an unusual custom. While Americans 
greet with a handshake, Argentinians embrace. 

A novel way to keep " park residents " from occupying seats 
in some of the park squares is amusing. The park workers keep 
moving the seats from shade to sun, and in the evening and on 
cloudy days the " never-works " are told to " move on." But 
the idlers enjoy sweet revenge from the fact that no one else has 
a chance to sit in the shade in the daytime. 

It is hard on one who has been used to three meals a day to 
practice the principle of the old adage, " When in Rome, do as 
the Romans do," for only two meals a day are served. Of 
course, one gets coffee and rolls for breakfast, but more than 
that brief menu is unknown to the Argentinian. The noon- 
time meal is called breakfast, and dinner is served about 7 
o'clock. 

Olives, potato chips, peanuts and cigarettes are accessories 
that go with refreshments at the " sidewalk dining-rooms " in 
Buenos Aires, People may be seen for hours taking sips of 
liquid from small glasses, then a potato chip will be snapped 
in two parts; next a few puffs of a cigarette; another sip; a 
peanut shell is then cracked and a kernel eaten; another sip of 
liquid ; next an olive ; more cigarette puffs, and so on. 

Churches and church holidays being numerous, banks are 
closed on these occasions for four or five days. What is known 
as " the American Church " attracts many of the English- 
speaking people of that city. 

In addition to the Argentine being a grain and cattle country, 
fruit trees and grapevines bear heavy yields. Fig and peach 
trees, which are numerous, yield abundant good fruit, and some 
bunches of grapes will half fill a water bucket. 

Gentility is denoted in the Argentine by a long little finger- 
nail. A fingernail could not grow from one to two inches long 
on the hand of one engaged in daily toil, for it would break off. 



32 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Hence a man with a long fingernail is included in the list of 
" retired " citizens. 

The dwelling houses and buildings of all sorts are substan- 
tially built. Brick is generally used, and this is covered with 
several inches of cement. A courtyard is a feature of all 
buildings, with a veranda around, and more rooms open on the 
court than on the street. Strong iron bars protect the windows 
in a great many instances, while the street doors are very heavy 
and the locks big and strong. Most of the dwelling houses are 
one and two stories in height, but some of the hotel and business 
buildings are from three to seven stories high. The higher 
buildings are of steel frame construction, which is known as 
" the American system." 

One will find splendid stores, with goods attractively dis- 
played in large, wide windows. Church buildings are numer- 
ous, and some of the government buildings large and imposing. 
Several of the newspapers are large, newsy and well printed. 
Linotype machines, web presses — all the modern machinery in 
use in the North — will be found in the emporium of South 
America. 

Portuguese is the language of Brazil, Spanish of the Argen- 
tine, and any one going to these countries to transact business 
without first acquiring an inkling of these languages will find 
himself at a great disadvantage. The foreigner who can speak 
both languages will succeed much better than the person who 
sticks to his native tongue. 

The pickpocket of Buenos Aires is said to be as deft at his 
trade as are his clever colleagues in the City pi Mexico. The 
great number of thieves here may be the reason for the presence 
of bars in front of windows, heavy doors and strong locks on 
buildings. 

I had work ojEEered to me at my trade in that city, but one 
who had been used to receiving $5 a day does not relish working 
for $3 a day for the same duties. Besides, just then the surface 
of my funds had been scarcely scratched. 

I stopped at a boarding house, paying $2 a day for my keep, 
occupying a small room next to the roof, with the only window 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 33 

a little larger than the port hole of a ship. It behooved one 
to be promptly in his seat at the table at mealtime, in order to 
prevent remonstrance that would justifiably be made by the 
inner man until the next meal if the rules of strict punctuality 
were not conformed to. 

One notices an improvement in the condition of the working 
people in both Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires over that seen 
in Lisbon, Poverty is not a feature of either city, more par- 
ticularly in Buenos Aires. 

My fare from New York to Buenos Aires was $150, and the 
distance traveled was 9,852 miles. From New York direct to 
Buenos Aires is some 6,000 miles, and the fare, third-class, $90, 
first-class, $240, there being no second-class rate. Third-class 
travel is generally unsatisfactory, and a first-class ticket would 
have cost more than I cared to spend on the first leg of my jour- 
ney. It was a 26-day sail from Southampton to Buenos Aires. 

From Buenos Aires direct across to Capetown, South Africa, 
is 3,600 miles ; by way of Madeira 9,500 miles, and second-class 
fare $250. This large sum of money for a ticket set me inquiring 
if there was no other way to get to South Africa without travel- 
ing nearly half the distance around the world. A tramp ship 
going to Asia and stopping at Durban, South Africa, for bunker 
coal was one's only hope of avoiding the long and tedious jour- 
ney by way of Madeira and the big expense. Four different 
captains who had received orders to sail to India did not want 
to take a passenger with them, giving as their reason that " it 
was against the Act " for tramp ships to carry travelers. The 
fifth captain seen, however, agreed to take me across to Durban 
for $50. Here was a saving of $200. 

That being my first introduction to tramp ship travel, I faced 
the voyage with some mistrust, as merchantmen, as a rule, are 
slow, are not equipped with wireless telegraphy appliances, and 
one does not know what may happen when sailing on the high 
seas. But the captain had a good face, which inspired me with 
confidence. 

" Meet me at the British Consul's ofiice to-morrow morning 
at 10 o'clock," the captain instructed, " for you'll have to ship 



34 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

as an 'A. B.' (able-bodied seaman), as the 'Act' does not 
allow us to carry passengers." " Aye, aye, sir," in sailor style, 
was my answer to his instructions. 

"How much are you going to pay this man?" asked 
the consul. " Ten shillings ($2.40) a month," answered the 
captain. " A pretty cheap ' A. B.' " sagely remarked the consul. 

" The ship is the one with a red funnel, having a yellow circle 
around it close to the top. Bertha Clay is her name. Be 
aboard at 3 o'clock at the latest, as we shall sail between 3 and 
4," was the final instruction by the captain. 

" You found her all right ? " the skipper remarked, when he 
had come aboard his ship. A cargo of coal had just been 
unloaded, and the dust was an inch deep on the deck. 

Later a long blast from the whistle was blown, and in a short 
time a rope from a tug had been fastened to the Bertha Clay, 
when she was slowly drawn from the dock into the narrow 
channel, which w'as solidly walled by ships. We had started 
for " Darkest Africa." 



LEG TWO 



CHAPTER I 

The evening sun was sinking fast as we were being towed 
from the inner harbor of the Argentine metropolis to the broad 
expanse of gray-colored water of the River Plate. 

Berths were short on the Bertha Clay, as the skipper had 
informed me before I had boarded his ship I would have to 
sleep in the chart room. Charts and other navigating para- 
phernalia were kept in this room, and the wheel house was on 
top of the chart room roof. " Sleep on the couch to-night," 
instructed the captain, " and to-morrow I'll try to have a berth 
put up for you, which will be more restful." 

Next morning found the tramp ship at sea, and behind, in 
the distance, the panorama of Montevideo, built on a hillside, 
was kept in view till lost to sight. " If you prefer land to sea 
view," the captain remarked later, " take a good look yonder, 
for, with the exception of a small, uninhabited island 1,200 
miles to the east, it is the last land we shall see until we reach 
the South African coast. That is Lobos Island, off the Uru- 
guayan coast, at which we are looking, on which large numbers 
of seal assemble." 

For six days out from the Plate the weather was summer- 
like, and these were pleasantly spent sailing over a smooth sea. 
Talent is generally found among sailors, and during the evening 
some of the crew would sing, others dance, or boxing bouts 
would take place ; wrestling matches also were listed among the 
means of entertainment. Then the weather changed for the 
worse, and evening sports were discontinued. 

The captain had brought with him eight sheep and a couple of 
dozen live chickens, as this ship carried no ice. A sheep was 
killed each week, and we had chicken twice weekly, so, between 
the sheep and the chickens, we had fresh meat three times a 
week. 

37 



38 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

" Keep a look out for Gough Island," suggested the captain 
to his first officer, " for it should be in sight by four o'clock." 
At 4:15 the mate, opening the door, reported, "Land port 
abeam, sir! " The island proved to be a small, rocky and unin- 
habited sea " oasis." " No more land until we reach Africa," 
said the skipper. 

The weather had grown stormy, the sea rough, and the 
Bertha Clay was rolling badly. She pitched, tossed and rolled 
so much, in fact, that the " A. B." had " callouses " on his hips 
through being slammed back and forth against the sides of his 
bunk in the chart room. 

Masters of ships usually have an easy time at sea. After they 
have left a port, the next few days are occupied in straightening 
their accounts. From then on, if the weather be at all favor- 
able, little work is done save at noontime, when the sun is 
sighted, by which means alone the course is maintained. Each 
officer has a sextant, and from two to four of these are pointed 
sunward from ten to fifteen minutes before the orb has reached 
the zenith. 

A captain of a tramp ship is generally sent from port to port 
by cable from the owners to their agent. After the cargo has 
been unloaded, he may remain in a port for days, or even weeks, 
waiting for orders to sail; but sometimes he has little idea to 
what part of the world he may be directed to go. The cable 
directions may read " Capetown." He heads his ship for that 
port, but does not know whence he will be sent until given 
instructions by the company's agent on arrival. 

The salary paid some sea captains is small, compared to the 
responsibility assumed. English and other European shippers 
pay masters of tramp ships from $100 to $130 a month, while 
captains of American ships receive double that sum. Perqui- 
sites, however, may come to a skipper in connection with his 
calling. Coal firms generally give the master of a ship a com- 
mission on fuel supplied, and chandlers maintain the same 
custom when furnishing stores. 

Sea charts with which captains are furnished are marvels of 
exactness to a landsman, shoals, rocks, lights, jutting points of 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 39 

land, sea currents and courses being as clearly marked as are 
rivers, turnpikes and railways on land maps. With a good 
navigator there is little danger of getting off the course if the 
sky be clear at noontime. It is in cloudy periods, when officers 
cannot get their bearings from the sun, that danger may occur. 

Rainy weather and clear days are the same to a sailor aboard 
merchantmen. Though sailors on a tramp ship rest on Sunday, 
firemen and officers have no day off. Chinese, Arabs and 
Indians, the latter called '* lascars," form the crew of a large 
number of British ships. From $12 to $16 a month were the 
wages then paid. On American ships white sailors receive $40 
a month. 

Two hundred miles a day was all the Bertha Clay was 
traveling. Her smoke funnel was white with salt from the 
waves of the sea dashing against it. Some of the officers 
gathered in the little saloon every evening, when the hours were 
whiled away until bedtime by indoor amusements. 

Sea birds of the Southland are different from those that 
accompany ships above the equator. No traveler who has the 
noble albatross as a companion can refrain from devoting hours 
and hours of time during a voyage to watching and admiring 
the smooth, graceful movements of this large bird. Sometimes 
as many as a hundred of these handsome soarers may be seen 
encircling the ship for as long as an hour at a time, seldom 
flapping their wings. In far southern waters the albatross 
generally joins an outgoing vessel from 2(X) to 400 miles from 
shore, and is not seen when a ship is the same distance from 
land at the other side of the ocean, although companions for 
weeks before. Its color is generally gray and white, but some 
are snow white, and occasionally brown-colored ones are seen 
with the others. These birds are as large as a swan, some 
measuring twelve feet from wingtip to wingtip. But many a 
sailor has lost his life when falling from a vessel in parts of 
the sea inhabited by the albatross. The great bird will pounce 
on anything it sees in the water, and, being so strong, the beak 
will penetrate the skull of a person at the first attack. Navi- 
gators say that it will not live during transit across the equator. 



40 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The moUemoke is another companion sailors have with them 
when traveling south of the equa,tor. This bird, while not so 
large, resembles the larger specie both in poise and color, and 
also mingles with the albatross during a voyage. Feeding on 
garbage thrown from the ship seemed to be the chief attraction 
to the fowl. A very pretty sea bird seen in far southern waters 
is the Cape pigeon. The pigeon is as large as a sea-gull, but 
in color is like the guinea fowl — spotted white and black — 
but of much brighter color. The snowbird is another com- 
panion that follows a ship in the southern seas, but only in 
sections where the weather has become chilly. The petrel is 
also found in these parts, and still another, a small, dark colored 
bird, no larger than a swallow, appears in large numbers at 
intervals. Sailors call these Mother Carey's chickens. All 
these fowl are one's unfettered companions while traveling 
through watery Southland, save an occasional whale. Sea-gulls 
do not appear. 

It was eighteen days since we sailed from Buenos Aires, and 
twelve of these had been stormy. The " A. B." was near the 
captain while he studied the chart, at 9 o'clock one evening, 
when the mate came into the chart room. " Mr. Jones," said 
the captain to the first officer, " keep a sharp lookout, as we 
should see the Cape of Good Hope light by 10 o'clock, or 
thereabouts." " Aye, aye, sir," he replied, as he passed out, and 
then scaled the ladder to the bridge. The sea had calmed as 
we neared the African coast. Less than an hour later the 
skipper and the " A. B." were chatting, when the door opened. 
The mate, putting his head between the door and jamb, in sea 
manner, announced: "Flash light port abeam, sir!" It was 
the Cape of Good Hope light. We had reached another con- 
tinent — the African. 

For five more days we sailed in sight of the green, treeless 
hills of South Africa, using glasses frequently, as may be im- 
agined, eager to see houses, cattle and grain fields. Finally we 
came in sight of the Bluff, the beacon of Port Natal. Soon we 
were opposite the entrance channel to the harbor, when anchor 
was cast. Shortly after a harbor boat was seen coming through 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 41 

the channel. Later a rowboat, manned by Zulus, headed 
toward the Bertha Clay, in which was a white man dressed in 
a white suit. The captain shouted to the man in white, asking 
if we could get into the harbor before night. It was then 
nearly sunset. The answer from the rowboat was, " I'm 
coming." This was the skipper's first trip to a country where 
white clothes were worn, and he mistook the man in the row- 
boat to be the port doctor. One unfamiliar with customs in 
that part of South Africa — or, in fact, anywhere — would 
never dream of seeing a grizzled sea pilo,t dressed in an immacu- 
late white suit of clothes. It proved to be the man who was to 
steer our ship safely to harbor. " All well ? " he inquired — 
the usual salute — when his rowboat had reached speaking dis- 
tance of the tramp ship. " All well," replied the master of the 
Bertha Clay. When the pilot had drawn alongside our vessel, 
he began to wriggle up the rope ladder at the side of the ship, 
the usual means of boarding and disembarking under such 
circumstances. 

We anchored in the harbor as twilight was hastily changing 
to darkness. " Supper is ready," announced the steward when 
the anchor chain was silenced. As ship food had no charm for 
the " A. B." when land food was available, he hurriedly made 
steps for the ladder at the side. This settled matters concern- 
ing eating supper aboard ship that evening, as the captain 
shouted, " Wait." Soon the skipper also started down the 
ladder, and the master of the Bertha Clay and his passenger had 
dinner ashore. 

We had stepped foot on Leg Two. 

The captain wished the " A. B." to return to the ship and 
sleep in his recently vacated bunk in the chart room that night 
— "the last night," as he put it — but my feeling of relief 
at the thought of not having longer to occupy that " cabin," in 
which the bedclothing had often been made damp through waves 
dashing against and over the ship, together with several inches 
of water at times covering the floor, might be compared to those 
that one would experience on leaving a " house of trouble." 

" You'll have to come to the port office in the morning and 



43 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

get paid oflF and discharged," remarked the captain, after we had 
finished eating the best meal we had had for nearly a month. 
Meeting at the time designated, the formality of paying off was 
gone through with, in accordance with maritime law. The 
" A. B." was handed $2.40 for his " work " during the voyage, 
but the money did not reach his pockets, as it was handed back 
to the genial skipper. The provisions of the " Act " had been 
complied with — in name. 

The Bertha Clay, with her bunkers full of coal, left the 
following day for Cochin-China — 6,000 miles further east — 
thirty days' more sailing. 

" Sixty cents a day " (the minimum legal charge for a per- 
son's food on English ships) " is all it will cost you if you will 
come with us," inducingly spoke the captain to his discharged 
" able seaman," while shaking hands warmly, a short time 
before the Bertha Clay sailed out of the harbor. The skipper's 
generous offer was declined. 

The passenger left behind sought the highest point of the 
seashore to watch the tramp ship sail on her initial stretch to 
Asia. She dipped her nose in the sea and wobbled and pitched 
as she had done for twenty-three days during her former voyage. 
It was not long before only an outline of the hulk was in view. 
Then that disappeared altogether, when all that remained in 
sight was the smoke funnel. Soon that also had faded to but 
a speck, and a short time later the Bertha Clay became hidden 
in a hazy horizon. 



CHAPTER II 

With a population of a hundred thousand, Durban is the 
chief seaport of South Africa. Located on the Indian Ocean, it 
is known also as Port Natal. Among the inhabitants, colored 
people of varied races comprise two-thirds of the population. 
With the native black there is the Indian, or Hindu, Arabs, 
Malays and half-castes from islands located near the East 
African coast. The phrase " Darkest Africa " is even more 
emphasized by the presence of the dark races that are not 
natives of the country. 

Untidiness and unsanitary conditions invariably prevail where 
black races are in the majority, especially so where the per- 
centage is three to one white person; but a pleasant surprise is 
met with here in this respect, as few cities anywhere surpass 
Durban in cleanliness, whether composed entirely of white 
people or a predominating number of blacks. Almost the 
whole white population is British. 

To the east and south, as one comes through a channel from 
the sea to the harbor, a ridge of land known as the BlufF, 
thickly verdured with low trees and wild flowers, offers such 
an inviting setting to a visitor that one forms a favorable opin- 
ion of Durban before he has stepped off a ship. That fore- 
ground is as green in the winter months as during the summer, 
for it is summertime in Durban the year round. After having 
passed through the channel into the bay, the harbor is seen 
landlocked on one side by the city, and on the other side and 
end by the evergreen Bluff and more verdure. It is Durban's 
splendid harbor, reasonable port dues, up-to-date facilities for 
coaling ships, and splendid docks that has gained for her the 
title of premier seaport of the South Indian Ocean. Her mod- 
ern maritime facilities are the result of energy by the Durban 

43 



44 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

business man more than to natural advantages, for the entrance 
channel had to be dug out and the harbor dredged. 

The business houses are built of brick, cement and stone, some 
of them being seven stories high. The stores are large, of fine 
appearance, with attractive windows. No place of Durban's 
size can boast of better buildings or better stores. 

One of the largest and best built structures to be found south 
of the equator is the Durban Town Hall. This building, of 
brick and cement, is a city block in size and three stories in 
height. The scope of this hall may be understood when it is 
mentioned that under its roof is contained a public museum, an 
art gallery, public library, theater, councilors' chambers, besides 
offices for the city officials. The building is not only large and 
imposing, but the architects have succeeded in giving the struc- 
ture an artistic finish. The Town Hall of to-day should meet 
the requirements of the Durban Corporation centuries hence, 
and would be a credit to a city of a million inhabitants. 

A good bathing beach and a well-laid-out and well-appointed 
park do not, as a rule, go together, but one finds this dual com- 
fort at this part of the Indian Ocean. Scattered about the 
terraced lawn have been built substantial kiosks and pagodas, 
with thatched roofs, which lend to the surroundings a decidedly 
Oriental air. These have been provided with comfortable 
seats, and, with the soft breezes nearly always coming from the 
Indian Ocean, enviable restfulness is assured to even nervous 
wrecks. Then stone walls, with alcoves built in to add to the 
seating capacity of the park, together with flowering vines 
creeping up and over and then drooping, form a means of 
shelter and rest, adding more attractiveness to the surroundings. 
Above the beach and park are splendid hotels, some without 
doors, and all with wide, inviting verandas. 

Sharks — man-eaters — are so numerous along the Natal 
coast that the bathing enclosure is closely studded with iron rods 
to prevent the voracious sea beasts from mangling and killing 
bathers, as would happen were there no means provided to keep 
the sharks away from the holiday-maker. 

The Berea is a residential section of Durban, and for land- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 45 

scape and floral effect is a notable feature. On a range of hills 
rising several hundred feet, overlooking the business portion of 
the city and the Indian Ocean, many Durbanites live in broad- 
verandaed homes, shaded w^ith semi-tropical flowering trees, 
perpetually blooming plants, vines growing so luxuriantly that 
the porches, and often the sides, of the houses are shut in by a 
green and floral portiere, as it were. Added to this attractive- 
ness are various species of palms and clusters of giant and 
Japanese bamboo. Some of the flowered hedges enclosing these 
building plots are so gorgeous in rich color and shape as to 
make a Solomon green with envy. 

The flambeau tree, indigenous to the Island of Mauritius — 
" the flower garden tree," it may be termed — is conspicuous 
on the Berea, both as to numbers and floral beauty. This tree, 
with fern-shaped leaf, does not grow over twenty-five feet in 
height, but it is of a spreading nature, its shade in some instances 
measuring fifty feet across — twice its height. It is in flower 
about a month, from the middle of December to the middle of 
January — Junetime south of the equator. The color of the 
flower is a bright red, as large and the shape of a sewing thim- 
ble, and grows in clusters of eight and ten in number. When 
in bloom, this bright red aerial garden may be seen from a 
distance of a mile, so the reader can picture what a gorgeous 
floral effect is displayed when hundreds of these handsome trees 
are in flower at the same time. 

The rosebush seemed to be the only plant of the nature of 
bush or tree that overrides lines, climates and seas. It is no 
doubt the most cosmopolitan plant that grows, and is to be 
seen in about the same beauty and diffuses its fragrance in the 
same degree in nearly all parts of the world. All the trees seen 
growing south of the equator appeared foreign to those growing 
in the United States. 

The Christ thorn — said to be the same as the one that 
pierced the brow of the Savior on Mount Calvary — grows 
abundantly in Natal. In some instances the bush is used for 
hedge fences, and when allowed to grow to a height of from 
two to four feet it makes a spiky obstruction, as the prongs are 



46 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

an inch in length, grow numerous on the stock, little thicker 
than a knitting needle, and are almost as sharp as a sewing 
needle. The thorn, which is of a creeping nature, like a grape- 
vine, is more generally used as a border for a flower pot, 
however. As its name naturally calls up memories of the deep- 
stained crime of nearly 2,ocx) years ago, one scrutinii:es it 
closely. The Christ is a flowering thorn, and the flower is red, 
not larger than a wild strawberry's. These grow in a group 
from one stem, each cluster numbering from two to ten flowers 
— always even — two, four, six, eight and ten — never in odd 
numbers. 

Some of the trees growing here bud and bloom twice a year. 
These interesting changes do not take place in the same way 
that nature does her work in the colder climates — by the leaves 
falling off in the fall of the year and the buds coming in the 
spring. With these trees the old leaf remains until forced off 
the limb by the new bud. About six weeks' time is required for 
nature to change from the old to the new. During this period 
new buds bulge from the tips of the limbs, when the old leaf 
will fall to the ground. This change is gradually progressing, 
until sections of the tree offer a clean, fresh, bright, green- 
leafed appearance, while on other parts the dull-green, dust- 
soiled leaf offers a striking contrast. Between the months of 
February and March and August and September the new leaf 
replaces the old. 

There is really little timber in South Africa, as the trees grow 
low and are of a spreading character. Naturally, the shade cast 
by them is much wider than that afforded by high trees. Where 
brush grows, it is found to be a dense thicket or jungle, in which 
monkeys disport themselves at will, and is often the home of the 
python also, a reptile frequently seen along the Natal coast. 
Shooting monkeys in the brush is a common amusement. 

Outside the city are banana plantations, and sometimes 
patches of corn and pumpkins. In order to prevent crops from 
being partly eaten by monkeys, laborers are out in the fields 
at daylight setting traps to catch the " missing links " or shoot- 
ing them. The monkeys are very destructive to crops growing 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 47 

in fields bordered by bushy land. A monkey's gluttony often 
renders his cunning of no avail, and for that trait he becomes 
an easy prey. Calabashes grow everywhere in South Africa, 
and it is by this vegetable the monkey is generally trapped. 
The calabash is dug out, or partly so, and cornmeal, calabash 
seeds and other monkey edibles are put inside and then made 
fast. A small hole, just large enough for a monkey to wriggle 
his supple fingers in and contracted paw through, is made in the 
vegetable. When no one is about, the monkey makes a start 
for the calabash trap and is soon eager to find out what is 
inside. He then begins working his paw through the opening, 
and when he has reached the cornmeal, seeds and other bait he 
grabs a handful. It is then that his gluttony proves his down- 
fall. The opening that admitted his empty paw is too small to 
allow his clenched fist to be withdrawn, so he pulls and tugs 
for hours to get his paw through the hole, but will not let go 
of the food even while being put to death by his captors. 

** Are there any automobiles in South Africa ? " asked a 
friend in a letter. Perhaps others will ask a similar question 
concerning the presence of other modern appliances in a far-ofE 
part of the world. One will not meet with elevated railroads, 
tunnels under wide rivers, underground railway systems, or 
buildings from twenty to fifty stories in height, for the reason 
that the cities of South Africa are not large enough to require 
these modern public utilities; but one will meet with modern 
electric light systems, telephone, telegraph and wireless telegra- 
phy systems, automobiles, motorcycles, motor trucks, most up-to- 
date fire-fighting apparatus, modern farm machinery, typesetting 
machines, web presses — all the modern machinery and appli- 
ances with which cities of the same size In the North are 
equipped will be found in the cities of the far Southland. 

White drill clothes are worn by two-thirds of the men of 
Durban ; also white shoes and a white, light-weight helmet. A 
suit costs from $2.50 to $6, and a wardrobe contains from three 
to half a dozen. In addition to the drill, a majority of me- 
chanics and clerks can vary their apparel by wearing woolen, 
flannel and even evening-dress suits. Women also generally 



48 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

adhere to white clothes and often a helmet similar to the style 
worn by men, together with white shoes, white hand-bag, and 
white parasol. 

The standard of intelligence of the people is high. A ma- 
jority in the coast cities are from the United Kingdom. Scotch 
and English are the more numerous, the Irish and Welsh being 
less in evidence. Among a group of men, the colonials (white 
persons born in South Africa of British parents) are nearly al- 
ways in the minority. 

It is only in very small towns in South Africa where a public 
library would not be open to all who wished to take advantage 
of its benefits. Durban is well supplied with public schools, 
a technical school open for both day and night classes; Y. M. 
C. A., Y. W. C. A. institutions, splendid library, art gallery, 
museum ; is thickly spired and turreted with good church build- 
ings; and, for recreation, there is a promenade, fringed with 
beautiful palms and shady trees, with seats under them, for a 
mile on one side, and the bay on the other; parks and sports 
grounds scattered throughout the city; a botanical garden and 
a zoological park. All these institutions of education, religion 
and recreation are to be found 10,000 miles from America, on 
the fringe of " Darkest Africa." 

In order that the reader may clearly distinguish between 
white and black, a note of the distinctive terms in use here 
might not be out of place. A " native " is a kafir or negro ; a 
" colonial " is one born in South Africa of white parents, gen- 
erally applied to English-speaking people; Dutch means a Boer, 
and Boer means Dutch ; the word " Africander " also means 
Dutch. But for all whites — Dutch, colonial, and foreign- 
born — the word "European" is used to designate the white 
from the black. The word " white " is seldom used. Indian 
coolie, or Indian, is a native of India, or of Indian parentage. 
" Colored " means a person of Malay and white blood. Half- 
castes are of negro and white blood. A " boy " means a kafir 
servant or a laborer. A native servant 40 years of age would 
be called a " boy." 

House servants in South Africa are native boys, and Indian 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 49 

women and girls are often employed as nurses. Occasionally 
one sees a native woman looking after children ; but the native 
boy — the " umfaan," as he is called in the Zulu language — 
from 10 to 18 years of age, is the standby as a house servant 
in the Province of Natal. The houseboy w^ears clothes that 
denote his occupation, and generally presents a neat appearance. 
His wage varies from $2 to $5 a month. Most of the umfaans 
make good servants, particularly the Zulu boys. Unlike his 
American brother, he is an early riser. 

" Umfaan peril — protection for the children " — is the light 
in which a great many of the Europeans see their dependency 
on the umfaan as the servant. While Indian women and some 
native women look after the children, more umfaans will be 
seen wheeling baby carriages than black maids. Such a thing 
as a European servant is almost unheard of in South Africa. 
So. how to have the children looked after by other than black 
male servants is a burning question in the province. Conven- 
tions are held regularly at the instance of women's children 
protection societies, leagues and similar organizations, at which 
the ablest minds of the country deal with the " umfaan peril." 
But no solution has yet been found to check the degradation 
that follows in the wake of such a system of taking care of 
children. Men and women who have made a study of the 
" peril," and who are familiar with customs, are loth to place 
all the blame for undesirable conditions on the native, neverthe- 
less. A large number of native girls are not allowed by their 
parents to come to the cities or towns as servants. While they 
live in the kraal on the veld no concern is felt for the future 
of the girls; but so soon as they leave the native hut to go into 
service in the towns their future is in doubt. So, with no na- 
tive girls to be had as servants, the umfaan's services for the 
present are indispensable. 

South Africa has proved an Arcadia for a great number of 
poor girls. Mill and shop girls of Great Britain who had 
dreamed of being the wife of a man dressed in white clothes 
from feet to head, of living in a wide verandaed house, trel- 
lised all around, with flowering vines climbing all about the 



50 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

porch, with the picture varied by the hum of bees or humming 
birds; with palms, exotics and flowers growing about the house 
and yard; with bearing banana plants, mango trees and rows 
of luscious pineapples growing in the yard — all encompassed 
by a flowering hedge of big, bright hibiscus bush; with a fore- 
ground of a steepled city and a broad blue ocean, and a back- 
ground of spreading fern-leafed trees emblazoned with scarlet 
and lavender-colored flowers; with an ayah (Indian maid) to 
be at her beck and call and a black boy to do the housework 
and bring her breakfast to her room; to be drawn from her 
home to the shopping center of the city and back by a big and 
swift Zulu ricksha puller, with long cow horns secured to each 
side of his head — that dream has come true to thousands of 
poor girls who have married in this section of South Africa. 

Most wives from Great Britain, however, prove white ele- 
phants to men living in the colonies. They are eternally going 
" home," as the British Isles are termed, and the husband's nose 
is " kept on the grindstone " to meet the expense required. The 
home " holiday " is seldom less than six months, and is fre- 
quently eighteen months, during which period the husband is 
maintaining two homes — the one In the colony and sending 
money to Great Britain to meet the expense of his family in 
that country. On the other hand, the climate of Southern 
Natal and Zululand is hard on the white woman. The easy 
life they live, and their fascinating surroundings, are not re- 
flected In face or in physique. It is unusual to see a buxom, 
rosy-cheeked woman or girl in Durban. The face is white and 
features lifeless. The climate In that part of South Africa 
seems to not only make them jaded, but crow's-feet and deeper 
wrinkles mark the faces of most women at a period In life when 
the features should be free of these ageing signs. The children 
suffer from the climate to the same degree as the women, most 
of them having thin bodies, thin arms, thin blood and spindled 
legs. Men also are affected by the climate, but not to the same 
degree as women and children. Illustrative of the size of men 
in Southern Natal, it may be noted that ready made suits of 
clothes of size 40 and over are not kept in stock by merchants, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 51 

as there k no call for them; few men attain that girtK. It is 
doubtful also if one could find a collar of size 17. 

The horse of Natal is a hungry-looking beast. This is owing 
to the grass generally being of a wiry nature, which the animal 
cannot digest, and a better quality, if eaten when dew is on it, 
proves very injurious to the system. Smoldering fires are lit 
in stables in the evening so that the smoke will keep mosquitoes 
from the premises. These insects are said to inject disease 
germs into any horse they bite. Large, vicious flies prove an- 
other menace to horses. The bite of these flies often draws 
blood, and as a result white hairs grow from the bitten parts. 
So many of these white hair spots appear on the bodies of black 
and bay horses that they often give a beast the appearance of 
being an iron-gray color. In certain sections of the Province 
of Natal horses cannot live. 

Favored with a delightful climate and a good bathing beach, 
Durban is a noted winter resort in that part of the world. 
The weather during the " season " — from May to October — 
is like the American Indian summer save for the absence of 
Jack Frost. At this time of year people from Johannesburg 
and other sections of the high veld come in large numbers to 
this point of the coast to spend their vacations. Circuses also 
pay their annual visits; hotel-keepers raise prices; rooming house 
proprietors double rates; fakirs are numerous; talented tramps 
— street singers — are heard in front of hotels, looking for any 
spare change that may come from verandas and windows; 
Zulu ricksha pullers become ambitious for an extra " holiday " 
fare — every one tries to get rich off the visitor, and the air 
is charged with music, merriment and life at every turn. 

In the way of amusement, moving pictures predominate, al- 
though theatrical people of world reputation frequently tour 
South Africa. Concerts in the Town Hall Sunday evenings, 
held under municipal auspices, are a popular form of entertain- 
ment, these being in charge of the borough organist, a city 
ofiicial. Militarj' bands in the gala season entertain the popu- 
lace morning, afternoon and evening at the Beach and in parks. 
Besides these attractions, boating, fishing, horse racing, military 



52 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

sports tournaments, and the general athletic sports figure largely 
in the life of the place. 

Dwellings are. nearly always at a premium, these renting for 
from $15 to $35 a month; but few houses are available for the 
lesser sum. The standard of living may be gauged by these 
charges, as people receiving small salaries could not pay high 
rentals. The wages of clerks, salesmen and mechanics range 
from $65 to $100 a month. In many Durban homes will be 
found a piano, a phonograph, good furniture, often a good col- 
lection of horns and skins, pictures — the home of no working- 
man of any country could be better furnished than the Durban 
breadwinner's. 

"Did you attend the funeral yesterday?" was asked of a 
lady whose relative had been buried the day before. ** Oh, 
no ! " she answered, much surprised at the question ; " only men 
attend funerals." The absence of women at subsequent burials 
proved this to be the custom here. A body must be put under 
ground within 24 hours after death. Were a person to die at 
7 o'clock in the morning, the burial would take place during 
the day. When information has been given that a person has 
died, it is understood that the funeral will take place in a few 
hours. 

One making a visit to the black belts would use good judg- 
ment were he to leave behind the word " woman " when ap- 
plied to white women. " Woman " in these countries is used 
only when speaking of black or colored persons. " Lady " is 
always used when referring to a white woman. One will find 
a similar distinction in vogue in the negro sections of the United 
States. 

" Toff " is an English term used to denote a good dresser — 
a sort of dandy. As most of the clothes worn by men are 
tailor-made, a great many " toffs " may be seen in Durban. 
The cheapest suit one can have made costs $22, but from $25 
to $40 is the general price. 

Natal, unlike the other provinces of South Africa, has always 
been English, particularly the coast section, which accounts for 
few manufacturers being in evidence from other countries. But 



SEVEN LEGS [ACROSS THE SEAS 53 

among American products are shoes, sewing machines and 
illuminating oil. Some powerful locomotives in use are of 
American manufacture and are imported chiefly to pull trains 
up heavy grades. The cooking stove in general use here is the 
kerosene oil sort, most of them of American make. In recent 
years, exports from the United States to the sub-continent (as 
South Africa is often termed) have increased to the creditable 
figures of 35 to 40 per cent. 

"Will you please look at the fireless stove?" a saleslady 
asked, as a group of women passed a " kitchen " stall in a fair 
ground on a provincial fair day. Turning about, there was a 
dish of baked beans, seldom seen away from America; an apple 
pie, an article of food as scarce in foreign parts as hens' teeth ; 
a roast chicken, soda biscuits (called scones in British territory) 
and baked potatoes. The whole outfit had America stamped 
on it very strongly. All the women stopped to witness the 
fireless stove " demonstration." " Where's the fire? " asked one 
of the women. Then the " demonstration " began, both in ac- 
tion and word. Her auditors looked with staring eyes and 
open-mouth as the agent showed them and explained its work- 
ing. 

Comparatively few Americans live in the Province of Natal, 
as at a luncheon given by the American Consul's wife to her 
countrymen " a table held us all " — thirty being present. In- 
vitations had been sent to a larger number, but as some of these 
were missionaries located in remote places of the country all 
did not attend. The luncheon was served on a Fourth of 
July, and what a pleasant gathering it proved to be. Some of 
those present had been away from their native country as long 
as forty years. Pleasant chats, speeches, toasts — the season of 
good fellowship that prevailed at that Fourth of July gather- 
ing, when we were all 10,000 miles from home, will remain 
among the longest cherished memories that those present will 
carry with them through life. 

Though lighting, water, a telephone system and street rail- 
ways are owned by the city, municipal ownership does not 
augur cheaper prices in Durban, in spite of the fact that the 



54 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

rates charged the consumer and patron insure the city not 
only a fair return on the capital invested, but generally a snug 
surplus is shown besides. Street cars are of double-deck style, 
but the fare is high. The system of paying is by " stage " — 
four cents from stage to stage, and the distance between 
" stages " is so arranged that the city receives about three cents 
a mile from its patrons. Conductors and motormen are Eu- 
ropeans. 

While the street car system gives employment to white men, 
it is the only department of the city that does so. The park 
system and the street department work is done entirely by 
Indian coolies, who receive from $3 to $5 a month. They are 
the most hungry looking, bony, spindle-legged lot of creatures 
one might set eyes on; but it is largely due to this cheap help 
that the Durban treasury is in such good condition. 

The Indian coolie is tricky, treacherous, lying, lazy, dirty 
and repulsive. He has about his loins a rag just big enough to 
cover his nakedness, while the wrapping around his head — his 
puggaree — is as large as a bed sheet. In other words, he makes 
a loin piece out of a handkerchief, but requires yards of cloth 
for a head covering. 

Sugar growing being the principal industry of southern Natal, 
the Indian coolie was imported to work in the sugar-cane fields. 
Tea also is grown in the southern part of the province, and In- 
dians are used in that industry, receiving from $3 to $5 a month 
and board. As his main food is rice, board does not cost much ; 
and as he sleeps in any sort of a shed, the sugar grower is not 
put to great expense for beds and bedding. The coolie used to 
be brought to South Africa under what was termed the " in- 
denture system," the indentureship periods being from three to 
five years, during which he could not leave his employer. It 
was a mild form of slavery. At the end of his indentureship 
he was generally shipped back to India, but could be re-em- 
ployed there and return to Africa. The sugar company paid 
his transportation either way. But that expense did not greatly 
shrink the growers' pocketbooks, as the coolie was shipped in the 
hold of a ship, which, when packed with this class, resembled a 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 55 

great ant-hill. Serving two and three terms of successive in- 
dentureship to the same employer gained for him his freedom, 
when he could remain in Natal. From then on he became a 
curse. The Dutch came in full control of South Africa on 
May 30, 1910, and a month later marked the end of indentured 
coolies entering the sub-continent. 

As is generally known, Indian girls become mothers at the 
age of from 12 to 14 years. Added to a resulting abnormal 
birth rate, compared with Europeans, polygamy is also a custom 
of the Indians. Thus will readily appear the great danger to 
the white interest where the Indian gets a foothold. 

The Indian patronizes his own people, and for this reason 
many of the Arab and Hindu merchants soon become wealthy. 
They aim to oust the white man wherever and whenever they 
can do so. Their standard of living is so much lower, and their 
employees work for so much less than the white merchant must 
pay European help, that they can undersell the white in most 
lines of business. Some of the wealthiest men in the province 
are Indian merchants. 

Most of the money in use in South Africa is gold — gold 
sovereigns — and silver. The gold sovereign is what the In- 
dian is after. His savings are sent to India in gold. Through 
the Durban post office was sent not long since 65,000 gold sov- 
ereigns. Bankers and business men appealed to the government 
to put a stop to sending this metal out of the country, and 
when that method of depleting the gold currency had been 
checked, it was sent to India secretly, most of it in packing 
boxes, there being a large trade between the two countries. 

The Indian having become a running sore on the financial 
and social body of Natal, the government has tried to tax the 
race out of the country. The legal age of a girl is placed at 
thirteen years and that of a boy at sixteen years. The tax on 
"legal" aged Indians is $15 a year. So, if an Indian father 
had three girls over thirteen years of age, and two sons over 
sixteen, making seven in the family of legal age, the head tax 
would be $105. To impose such an exorbitant tax on poor, low 
paid people seems a hardship. No " melting pot " that ever 



56 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

simmered will assimilate the Indian with the white race, how- 
ever. They bring with them filthy habits and weird customs, 
and live the life of an Indian in whatever part of the world 
they may be located. 

The destruction of the " gods " — Mohurrum festival — is 
one of the great holidays of the Indians in Natal. This is the 
closing climax of a Mohammedan ten-day festival. The fes- 
tival takes place each year, which shows that Indians do not 
worship stale gods, as a new one comes into existence ten days 
after the drowning of the old gods. The gods on this oc- 
casion were drowned in the Umgeni River, about three miles 
from Durban. 

The fantastic hearses, in design a strange mixture of mosque 
and pagoda, made up of bamboo framework covered with bright 
colored paper and lavishly decorated with tinsel an^ gaudy 
ornaments, most of them surmounted by the star and crescent 
on a dome, emblematic of the Moslem faith, were followed by 
Indian women in brightly colored garments, and grotesquely 
painted men scantily clad in loin cloths, weird headpieces, and 
other trappings, who conveyed the gods to the river. Above 
the noise that followed this gay holiday crowd, bent on the 
destruction of Indian gods, could be heard the monotonous and 
ear-racking din of the tomtom, together with a prehistoric bag- 
pipe here and there, and these were the only musical instru- 
ments in use to demonstrate the feelings of this motley crowd. 
The pagodas are called " taboots," and when these came to a 
halt ■ — they were drawn by men — the " tigers," men besmeared 
with lead, ochre and yellow-colored mud and grease from head 
to foot, would give exhibitions of contortions, which must have 
been pleasing to the slowly moving gods. At the river where 
the gods were to meet their death had gathered a great crowd 
of Indians, natives and Europeans to witness the last part played 
in the Mohurrum fast and festival. " Taboot " after " ta- 
boot " was tipped and hurled into the stream, after the priests 
had taken rice and other grain from it, which they tossed into 
a small fire burning in an urn. The shallow river was swarm- 
ing with youngsters, and no sooner had a " taboot " reached 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 57 

the water than the boys were at it, and in a short time it was a 
shapeless wreck. 

On the shore of the Indian Ocean a group of Hindus were 
observing a repulsive form of the Buddhist religion. About a 
dozen in number, they assembled round a brass urn, six inches 
across and three deep, in which burned an oil fire. Half of 
this number formed what we may call an orchestra. Two of 
the instruments were tomtoms and the others rounded pieces of 
wood, bored out, as large as a croquet ball, and with brass 
bells attached. These were put over the players' hands, rattling 
as they moved their wrists, the other members at the same time 
chanting a dump. Close to the urn stood a cone-shaped 
wooden frame, two feet high and eighteen inches at the base, 
covered with flowers. To the rear lay three live hens, with 
strings tied to their legs. 

The Hindus then started toward the water to the accom- 
paniment of bells and tomtoms. Leading were three men, the 
one between, who appeared nervous, being aided by those on 
each side. One of the trio had thick, black hair reaching to 
the waist, but none wore head covering. When the three had 
waded in up to the armpits, the center man was ducked a num- 
ber of times. The music then ceased for a short period, after 
which all returned to the urn. The Indian who had been im- 
mersed turned out to be a convert to this fanatical sect. 

The orchestra resumed the chant, the man with the long 
hair and the convert kneeling by the fire, the third one, a 
priest, standing. The former began bending his body back- 
ward and forward, his head touching the sand at each move- 
ment, also running his fingers through his hair. The convert 
followed the actions of the other. Both worked themselves 
into a state of weakness, verging on collapse, during which 
their hands, at times, came in contact with the flame in the 
urn, but none of the members made any effort to turn their 
hands from the fire, which, of course were burned. At this 
stage of the ceremony both men, their eyes rolling and only the 
whites showing, lay on the sand, exhausted. The chant ceased. 
The priest approached the apparently lifeless Indians with a 



58 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

phial in his hands. He next placed the open end of the bottle 
to the nose of one, then to the other, the Hindus raising them- 
selves to their knees as the orchestra resumed. 

The half-revived convert then put out his tongue, the priest 
advancing with what looked like an oyster fork in his hand. 
The orchestra stopped — all was silent. He next took hold of 
the dazed, hand-burnt disciple's tongue in one hand, and forced 
the tines of the fork through that member with the other ; then, 
quickly stepping to the cone, took two flowers — lavender and 
yellow in color — and, returning, put one flower on top of the 
tongue, the other underneath. No blood flowed from the pen- 
etrated member. The Hindu stood up, apparently in a trance, 
his tongue spiked. The priest again alertly stepped back and 
returned with a chicken, snapping the hen's head off as if cut 
with a scissors. The blood from the headless fowl was 
sprinkled over the convert ; then another hen was brought, killed 
likewise, its blood also being sprayed over the supplicant, when 
the orchestra played. The follower next bended to his knees, 
after which the flower cone was lifted on his head. He rose; 
then the group, to the accompaniment of the " music," walked 
over sand dunes in the direction of a mosque, where, it was 
said, the fork would be withdrawn from the inducted Asiatic's 
tongue. 

The Zulu ricksha puller is the most striking feature of that 
interesting city to a visitor, as he proves an object of much 
curiosity and admiration. He is in a class by himself. In 
stature, he stands from 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 4 inches; in 
color, darker than a mulatto, but not black; with bare legs, 
strong, muscular and fleet of foot; generally ready to smile, 
showing his perfect teeth; standing between two shafts by 
which he draws the ricksha, watching eagerly for a fare — this 
gives but a meager illustration of the Zulu ricksha puller. 

The Zulu reaches the culmination of vanity when he has 
fixed himself up to look like, and to imitate the actions of, an 
ox, horse or mule, for he has a veneration for these dumb ani- 
mals. The larger the horns he can wear, which are secured 
to a piece of cloth that fits tight to the head, the better he is 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 59 

pleased. A number of long feathers often extend from be- 
tween the horns, and van-colored grass and thin reeds, also 
attached to the same place, fall to and below the waistline. 
Added to this head adornment, calabashes, sometimes as large 
as a cantaloupe, protrude from the side of his head. His jacket, 
sleeveless, which bears designs of plaids and squares, resembling 
a checker-board, extends midway between thigh and knee. His 
pants are a slit knickerbocker, also extending to halfway be- 
tween thigh and knee, but from the hem fall strips of red braid 
six inches below. The pants are split to allow his legs freedom 
when drawing the vehicle. 

The ricksha puller is eternally trying to think of something 
fantastic and grotesque to wear. One fellow may be seen with 
his legs and feet painted blue, representing the sky, with white 
spots dotted here and there to represent stars, another with 
both legs painted white. At times one leg is painted red and 
the other white. Also may be seen, fastened to the puller's 
horns, the skull of a calf or sheep, or perhaps of a monkey. 
Monkey skins, with tails attached, are worn, one in front and 
the other on the back. Again, a discarded plug hat may be 
hung on one horn and an empty vegetable can on the other 
while he is pulling a passenger about the city. Sometimes his 
head looks like a small flower garden, as he is seen trundling 
his ricksha about with bright red hibiscus and carnations stick- 
ing out of his black, woolly head at the top and from the sides. 
At night a small light — generally a candle — attached to the 
axle of his sulky, may be seen at the sides of streets and showing 
from dark alleys or from under a spreading tree. The puller 
will jingle the little bell on the shafts of his ricksha to attract 
the attention of a passerby. The weird trappings, with the dim 
outline of the Zulu, together with his long horns showing from 
the darkness, will not inspire confidence in one unfamiliar with 
the native puller. In short, he appears fantastically inhuman 
by day and grotesquely brutish by night. His phj'sique, how- 
ever, is an object of admiration; mentally, he is a child. 

The ricksha is a two-wheeled, two-shaft sulky, with rubber 
tired wheels, upholstered, and will seat two persons. A hood 



6o SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

is attached to the seating box like that of a carriage. A small 
bell hangs from one of the shafts, which the puller sounds to 
give warning of his coming. Under, from the center of the 
axle depends a bar of iron with a small wheel at the end. This 
bar prevents passengers from falling out if the ricksha should 
tip while going up hill. The service is good and the fare cheap 
— from 6 to 50 cents — the different fare stages being printed 
on a card. Like every one engaged in similar occupations, the 
puller knows a stranger, and succeeds often in getting more 
than the just fare from men, but women generally ask for the 
schedule card. 

" Ricksha ! " is the only word shouted when a puller is 
wanted. Regular stands for them are located in different parts 
of the city, and if one feels depressed in spirits and wishes to 
get out of the " dumps," a good way to have the " cloud " lifted 
is to shout " Ricksha ! " when within 200 to 300 feet from where 
fifteen to twenty of the pullers are chatting and waiting for a 
fare. Every one of them will spring between the shafts, like 
fire horses to harness, and make a dash at full speed to the 
person who shouted. The noise and rattle a group of pullers 
make in approaching sounds almost like a collision between two 
railway trains. 

The puller rests the shafts on the ground while his passenger 
is being seated. He holds his big, strong, flat foot on the 
thills, so the vehicle will not slip while one is getting aboard, 
until his patron tells him to go. If one cannot speak the native 
language, not a word will be spoken, for rarely does one meet 
a native who can speak English. The passenger points his 
finger in the direction he M^ishes to be drawn. The Zulu raises 
the shafts and, after a few slow, heavy pulls to get the vehicle 
started, one is spinning along as fast as a trolley car travels. 

" Jim Fish ! " " Jim Fish ! " they will call to a passerby, at 
the same time ringing the small bell on the shafts, while ad- 
vancing and acting in a manner that suggests the person being 
approached had forgotten to call a puller. Jim Fish was the 
swiftest puller that ever wore a brace of horns. In a three mile 
race with a trolley car Jim cam.e out ahead, but, like Pheidip- 




Jim Fish Was the Swiftest Puller that Ever Wore a 

Brace of Horns. 

Durban, South Africa. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 6i 

pides, the Greek of the dusty past, after whose run the Mara- 
thon has been named, he fell dead when he had crossed the 
finish line. By calling out " Jim Fish " the Zulus imagine the 
name suggests a fast ride. 

The puller appears at his best when traveling down grade. 
Just at the head of the decline he jerks the shafts upward — 
this movement bringing his back close to the dashboard — when 
his arms rest akimbo on the thills. He maintains his full height 
during this change of position, which is in accordance with pro- 
fessional ricksha pullers' custom. The sulky naturally tilting 
backward — also the occupants — his body is nearer the axle 
of his vehicle than when traveling over a level or inclined sur- 
face. Aided by the weight of his passengers, the ricksha is 
then almost evenly balanced. Riding on the shafts, he throws 
to one side, like a jumping-jack, the big leg bearing the painted 
design of the sky or openwork, and his unpainted leg to the 
other. He also moves his body from side to side and assumes 
a labored expression, although resting while being borne on the 
shafts. His body movement and stern appearance are afEected, 
and are, as he believes, in keeping with that of a racehorse when 
coming down the home stretch, which he is imitating. His 
horns and their adornment, together with the colored grass 
streamers, feathers, monkey tails, checkerboard designed jacket, 
calabashes, braid, flowers — all his trappings are then set full 
to the wind, as the Zulu seems to actually fly through space. 

In stormy weather, which means good business for the puller, 
the hood is raised, and a piece of canvas that covers the front of 
the ricksha is buttoned to the sides, which protects the occupant 
from rain both from above and in front. Off the Zulu goes, 
after he has tucked the rug under his passenger's feet and has 
seen to it that the canvas shelters his fare. The rain may be 
coming down in torrents, and the water half knee deep in the 
streets, with the handicap of the raised hood and front canvas 
against him ; but patter, patter, patter he will continue, watching 
for depressions, in order to sidestep them so that his 
passenger will not be jolted, until he has reached the place at 
which his fare wishes to alight. He will take one home in 



62 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

any sort of weather, as his strong legs and body rarely fail 
him. 

The puller will often have nothing on but the jacket, short, 
split-leg pants and trappings. He does not go to his living 
quarters — the ricksha stable — and get dry clothes, as one 
might expect him to do, but trundles his sulky about in the rain 
looking for another fare. He pulls a ricksha from two to three 
years, when consumption generally claims him as a victim. 

Twelve hundred of these stalwart natives were formerly 
engaged in this kind of work, but now there are less than a 
thousand. The extension of street car lines from time to time 
accounts for the decrease. 

The rickshas are owned by a company, and 60 cents a day 
is paid by the puller for its use. All he makes over 60 cents is 
his own. It is said he often earns from $2 to $3 a day, but 
there are also days when his fares do not exceed the rent charge. 
Most of the pullers work but four days a week. 

A " curfew " bell rings at 9 o'clock each evening, and the 
only native seen about the streets who is immune from arrest 
after that hour is the ricksha puller. After " curfew " a native 
carries a pass or a note from his employer, either of which will 
save him from being taken to a police station. It is very amus- 
ing at times to watch a Zulu policeman question a native as to 
why he is out late. His only protection is the note or his pass, 
which the policeman makes pretense at reading, though he does 
not know A from B. 

This dusky guardian of the peace is next in interest to the 
ricksha puller. His uniform is a jacket, dark blue in color, 
that reaches just below the waist band. His pants are of the 
same material, reaching to and covering the kneecap, where it 
is buttoned tight. His legs from his knees down are bare and 
shine like polished ebony, for they are oiled every day. He 
wears a stingy head piece called a forage cap, generally made of 
blue cloth, which covers about one-third of the head — the side 
— from the arch of the ear to within two inches of the crown. 
This is held in place by a string looping under his chin or rest- 
ing between the chin and lower lip. Some caps have a red 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 63 

stripe across the top, and all have a dent or crease. His weapon 
is a knobkerry, a stick an inch round, with a knob on it as large 
as a croquet ball. A pair of handcuffs is also included among 
this Zulu officer's equipment. 

The European policeman of Durban, as many European 
women of that city, have an easy job. The native police do 
any ** rough " work required to subdue black offenders, as Eu- 
ropeans, to whom the white policeman would give his attention, 
are as a rule law abiding. The native carries his superior's 
raincoat, overcoat, or any burden that the white officer might 
need while on duty. A black policeman is not permitted to 
arrest a European, no matter how serious the offense against the 
law might be. The worst offenders are Indians ; but big thefts, 
safe-blowing, house breaking, hold-ups, sand-bagging, etc., are 
few, which indicates the respect people have for the law in this 
British stronghold. White policemen receive $75 a month, and 
natives $15 a month and board. The working time is eight 
hours a day, with three shifts. 

A large building without an entrance door would appear as 
something unusual in Northern cities ; and yet one can find such 
an oddity in the far Southland. The one in question is built 
of brick, three stories in height, and contains a hundred fur- 
nished rooms. The entrance is a high archway, and just inside 
is an elevator and stairway. It is an English custom to leave 
one's shoes outside his room door on going to bed, so that 
" boots " can polish them in the morning. In front of each 
room, on each side of the aisles, in this hostelry could often be 
seen from one to four pairs of shoes, yet every pair would be 
found in the morning where they had been placed the night be- 
fore, although no porter guards the entrance of the building nor 
a night watchman the interior. 

Meat is about the same price in South Africa as in America. 
Beef, mutton, chicken and pork cannot be had for less than 
15 to 25 cents a pound. Irish potatoes are expensive, as most 
of this standby is imported. Eggs sell at 35 to 60 cents a 
dozen. Apples are imported from Australia and Canada. 

Pineapples, oranges and bananas are found on the table of 



64 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

nearly every household the year round. Then there are, among 
other varieties of seasonable fruit, the mango, guava, grenadilla 
and avacada pear. The pineapple, w^hen picked ripe, is as soft 
as our pear. These native fruits sell at a reasonable figure. A 
hundred bananas can often be bought for six cents. 

Hotel expenses are reasonable, $2 a day insuring good accom- 
modation. In boarding houses, good board and lodging can be 
had at from $30 to $35 a month. Splendid furnished rooms 
can be rented at from $10 to $15 a month. Meals in popular 
priced restaurants cost 30 and 35 cents. 

The sun rises from the Indian Ocean here and travels during 
the day on an almost straight course, shining on the south side 
of the street, the north side being partly shaded. For this 
reason the principal business street of Durban is roofed on the 
south side, as it is exposed to the sun from morning until sun- 
set. The cold and warm winds also come from a different 
direction than those above the equator — the warm winds from 
the north and the cold winds from the south. Even the sun 
seems to rise in the west and set in the east. 

Wages paid mechanics range from $3 to $4 a day of eight 
hours' work. Such employment as teamster, hod carrier, street 
laborer, 'longshoreman, and park worker is all done by Indians 
and natives. The native is paid from 25 to 50 cents a day, the 
latter figure being considered good wages, while the Indian 
works for 10 to 15 cents a day. Hotel work, waiting on 
tables, kitchen work, and even cooking, with a few exceptions, 
is done by blacks, chiefly Indians. 

A white man " on his uppers " in Durban, or in any black 
center, for that part, is to be pitied. If he be a mechanic, his 
chances for work are none too good, and if he be an unskilled 
worker there is no chance for him at all, as blacks do all the 
work of that sort. The United States and Canada are the only 
countries — possibly Mexico, too — in which one can travel on 
railroad trains without paying fare or being put into a peni- 
tentiary. Walking on a railway track in Europe is a prison 
offense. So, taking that as one's cue, a man caught stealing a 
ride on a train might be tried for treason. As Durban is 7,000 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 65 

miles from England, 4,500 miles from the Argentine, 6,000 
miles from Australia and 5,000 from India, a fellow " broke " 
in the coast cities of South Africa is in a sorrowful plight. The 
cheapest steamship passage from South African ports to Eng- 
land is $80 to $100. 

Labor unions exist in South Africa, and the members take 
an active part in politics. Not long since a spirited campaign 
was on for a seat in the Senate. One of the foremost business 
men of that country was a candidate for the office, and a union 
labor man, a locomotive engineer by trade, was the opposing 
candidate. The lines were tightly drawn between capital and 
labor in that senatorial contest. The " one-man-one-vote " 
clause has yet to be drafted into the constitution of the Union 
of South Africa. Only a citizen paying a certain amount of 
tax during the year is allowed to vote. On the other hand, a 
man holding much property, and this scattered about the coun- 
try, can, as in England, vote in as many districts as his property 
is located. A wealthy man may cast half a dozen votes at an 
election, while the workingman taxpayer will not, as a rule, 
have more than one vote. The capitalist candidate for the 
Senate in this election had four votes to cast, while the railroad 
man had but one. A widely known man from the Transvaal 
was imported to Natal to do " heavy work " for the wealthy 
candidate, and prominent labor men from the Transvaal and 
the Cape of Good Hope Provinces were saying and doing all 
they could to make votes for their candidate. 

" We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang 
separately," a labor campaigner was heard to say at one gather- 
ing, quoting Benjamin Franklin's cynical epigram. " Of the 
people, by the people, and for the people," Abraham Lincoln's 
immortal words, were also used during the campaign. But 
the speakers of both parties were tyros compared to the Ameri- 
can brand of spellbinder. Election day came, and he who had 
plural votes cast them, and he who had one vote cast it. The 
result of an election is made known by a judge announcing the 
figures from the balcony of the Town Hall. "Hear, ye! 
Hear ye! " a voice was heard to command, the judge addressing 



66 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the people assembled. The engineer had 36 more votes than 
his wealthy competitor, and was the third labor legislator elected 
to the South African Upper House. 

Every mechanic has his " boy " — the bricklayer, carpenter, 
plumber, electrician, painter — to wait on him. One might be 
located in the black belt for years and not see a mechanic carry 
even a pair of overalls. A mechanic may be seen any time, 
when working, asking his " boy " to hand a tool that would not 
be two inches beyond his natural reach. A bricklayer becomes 
so painfully helpless that he will neither stoop nor reach for a 
brick; that is what his "boy" is for. The carpenter must 
saw boards, because the native cannot saw straight, but in every 
other respect he is just as helpless as the bricklayer. Clerks 
even have a " boy " to hand a pen or any other thing they 
might need in connection with their work. The only trades- 
man observed who did his work without the aid of a " boy " 
was the printer and linotype operator. And what applies to 
printers may be said of editors and others engaged in the print- 
ing trade. They really work in the old-fashioned way. Were 
one to take a spade in hand to prepare the garden for vegetables, 
merely that act of manual labor would be very apt to prove a 
bar to a further continuance of the respect of his European 
neighbors, and assuredly so by the natives and Indians. 

The white man is always at his minimum energy where the 
black man is depended on to do the work. We need not go 
farther than our Southern States to learn that lesson, 

Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer, discovered the Prov- 
ince of Natal five years after Columbus set foot on the North 
American Continent. Da Gama's first visit to Natal was on 
Christmas Day in the year 1497. As Christmas Day is the natal 
day of the Savior, and as the word natal in the Spanish and 
Portuguese languages is used as is the word birth in the Eng- 
lish language, this will explain the origin of the naming of 
Natal. 

For more than three hundred years that section of South 
Africa remained as Da Gama found it before white men made 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 67 

a settlement among the Zulus. In 1824 a few Englishmen 
built temporary dwelling places on the shores of the Indian 
Ocean, more Englishmen joining them from time to time, until 
Durban has become one of the leading seaport cities of the 
African continent. The coast section of the Province of Natal 
is the only part of South Africa in which the Dutch were not 
the pioneers. 

A great many humpback whales inhabit the Indian Ocean 
in the stretch of sea, nearly a thousand miles long, separating 
Durban from Capetown. Of late years whales have been 
hunted on a large scale, and each season finds a new whaling 
company in the field to share in the profits of this lucrative in- 
dustry. Eight or ten factories, or stations, most of these located 
a few miles from Durban, are now engaged in utilizing the by- 
products of the whale. 

Harpooning whales, or whaling — to use the general term 
— is engaged in at places separated by thousands of nautical 
miles, and, like other water industries, has its season. Whales, 
like wild fowl, migrate at certain seasons to some particular 
part of the great water expanse, and return again the succeeding 
year. By nature, this cetacean prefers a cold climate to a 
warm one. The season for their migration is at a different 
period to that of the wild fowl, for the " spouter " leaves the 
zone of the hot sun and swims great distances until he reaches 
cooler water. Sometimes it is from the North Atlantic to the 
South Atlantic or Indian Oceans, and at others from the Indian 
Ocean southeasterly to the South Pacific Ocean, the water of 
which is cooled by the icebergs of the South Pole section. 
Whales leaving the North Atlantic in early summer for the 
South Atlantic Ocean know it is cooler south of the equator 
than north of it. 

Americans and Norwegians engaged early in the whaling 
business in the North Atlantic Ocean, and up to a few years 
ago American whaling ships made frequent visits to the South 
Atlantic and Indian Oceans in quest of the oil-producing levia- 
than. But it is to the Norwegian that credit must be given for 



68 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

building up the whaling industry in the Indian Ocean, thereby 
putting in circulation a large sum of money each season that, 
until recent years, had been overlooked. 

From 600 to 800 of these monsters of the deep are harpooned 
and rendered into oil in the Durban factories in a season — 
from June to November, inclusive — the cool season in that 
part of the world. Thirty tons is the average weight of whales 
killed in the Indian Ocean. Those on exhibition in museums 
give one some idea of the size of a whale, yet the cured specimen 
is a poor substitute for one which had been " spouting " an 
hour before. 

Whaling boats are little larger than a big tug-boat. The 
whaler is equipped with one mast, and twenty feet above the 
deck a long barrel is secured to this, in which one of the crew 
is stationed when hunting the great monster of the sea. The 
barrel is called the " crow's nest," and from here the " lookout " 
scans the ocean in every direction for the " spouting " mam- 
moth. On the bow of the boat a cannon is secured, out of 
which a harpoon is shot into the whale. The harpoon looks 
like a small boat anchor. The length of the harpoon bar is 
four feet, and at one end are four hooks ten inches long. The 
hooks are attached to the bar by a spring, and, before being 
used, are bent down to the bar, and kept in this position by 
strong cord. Over the end of the bar fits a spear-pointed cap 
a foot long, and in this cap has been placed a dynamite bomb. 
Whales are shot within thirty yards of the boat — sometimes 
twenty feet. The cannon can be adjusted to any angle. When 
the spear-pointed cap enters the whale, the bomb explodes, 
snapping in two the cord with which the four hooks were tied 
to the bar, when the hooks spring outward — like an open um- 
brella — inside the whale. 

The vital spot aimed at is the lungs. If the aim proves true, 
the large mammal falls a victim to the ugly weapon, and dies 
instantly. If the harpoon goes wide, the whale heads for the 
bottom. A long, strong rope is secured to one end of the har- 
poon bar, and the whale is given liberal latitude for his deluded 
effort to escape. Soon the rope slackens, when the whaler 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 69 

knows the " spouter " is coming to the surface to breathe. In 
the meantime, another harpoon has been placed in the cannon, 
and when the whale appears this one is shot into the crippled 
monster, putting an end to his fight for life. It sometimes 
occurs, however, that the whale breaks the rope fastened to the 
eye of the harpoon, when he escapes, carrying the treacherous 
weapon in his ponderous frame. 

When dead, the great " catch " is drawn to the side of the 
boat by the rope secured to the harpoon. His tail flippers, 
which are from 10 to 12 feet long, are cut off, to allow of con- 
venient handling of the cumbersome carcass. A chain is then 
put around his delimbed tail, the winches revolve, and, when 
his tail has been drawn up close to the bow of the boat, a start 
is made for the wharf, leaving behind a wake of red sea, dis- 
colored by the blood running out of his mouth and from the 
rent in his body where the harpoon entered. 

At the wharf, the boat chain is loosened and the harpoon rope 
cut. A chain from the shore is ne*ct wound round his tail, a 
signal given the engineer to start the machinery, and the great 
cetacean is slowly drawn up a slipway out of the water. When 
drawn to the head of the slipway, the body continues moving 
on to a wide flat car, the railway track on which the car rests 
being sunk to a depth level with the top of the slipway. One 
flat car is not long enough to afford room for the huge wan- 
derer of the deep, and a portion is drawn on to a second car. 
An engine backs down, is coupled to the " whale train," and 
a start made for the factory. The harpoon remains in the 
whale until the body is cut to pieces. 

At the factory, the whale is drawn off the car on to the 
" dissecting " platform by another chain secured to the tail. 
Men, with long-handled knives, then make deep cuts — one in 
its back and another in the underpart — from the point of the 
jaw to the tail, and another deep cut the full length of the 
carcass. The spaces between these incisions are three feet at 
the underpart and from five to six feet on the back. This part 
of the process is called " flencing," At the point of the jaw 
a piece of flesh is cut until it is released from the bone, and a 



70 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

small hole is cut out of the released part. A kafir, bare-headed 
and bare-footed, brings a chain, and the hook of it is put through 
the hole made in the released end of flesh at the whale's jaw. 
A signal being given a man at the winches to start, the piece of 
released hide begins to peel from the jaw, then down to the 
shoulder, and further still. When the winches stop, a slab of 
hide 40 to 50 feet long, six feet wide, and six inches thick — 
from the point of the jaw to the whale's tail — is stretched out 
on the platform inside up. The skin from the back and sides 
of the whale peels off almost as smoothly as does the skin of a 
banana from that fruit. The skin at the underpart, however, 
does not peel so freely, requiring cutting of the flesh by the 
flencer in a similar way to that of severing threads when rip- 
ping a seam in a garment. The underpart of the hide is but 
three inches thick. These slabs or strips of flesh, of which six 
or seven are procured from a whale, is the blubber, and from 
the blubber comes the best grade of oil. 

Kafirs, with long-handled knives, cut chunks — about 18 
inches long and 12 inches wide — from the slabs, which are 
thrown into a hopper in which are revolving knives, these cut- 
ting the flesh into small pieces, which drop into elevator buckets, 
later emptying into boiling tanks located on a floor above. In 
these vats the oil is boiled out of the blubber. 

The whalebone, located in the enormous mouth, is yet to be 
removed. The flesh to which the bone grows is cut with long, 
strong knives around the inside of the jaw. A point of the 
flesh is released, a chain hooked to it, the winches again start 
revolving, and the whalebone begins peeling off the inside of 
the mouth as freely as did the blubber off the back. Half of 
the whalebone still remains in the mouth, and this is-jremoved in 
the same manner as the first half. 

A great blood-red hulk is all that now remains of the whale. 
A chain is again wound about and secured to the tail of the 
carcass, the winches, for the last time, revolve, when the co- 
lossal frame is moved up an incline to a floor above the platform 
on which it was skinned. Then kafirs, with axes, begin cutting 
the hulk to pieces, which are thrown into rendering vats. Dif- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 71 

ferent parts of the body are thrown into different tanks, as 
certain portions of the flesh produce a better grade of oil than 
other parts. The only portion not boiled is the bone in the 
mouth. The blood is the only particle not utilized, and it 
would add proportionately to the whale's value were it shed 
on shore instead of in the sea. The flesh, after the oil has been 
boiled out, is sold to farmers for fertilizing purposes. Thirty 
to thirty-five men take part in disposing of a whale at the fac- 
tory, and from four to five hours' time is required to get the 
carcass into the rendering vats. 

From $700 to $800 is the value of a humpback to the manu- 
facturer. The average quantity of oil rendered is 50 barrels, 
and a barrel of oil sells at $12 to $15. Most of the oil from 
the Durban factories is shipped to Glasgow, Scotland, the whale- 
bone to Paris, France. 

Some whalers say the food of a whale is small fish, while 
other authorities give it, owing to the gullet of some species of 
these cetaceans being but two and three inches wide, as very 
small, nutritious marine organisms, or insects, many not visible 
to the eye, called invertebrates. When feeding, the whale 
takes great mouthfuls of water, its whalebone serving as a 
strainer and repository in which the minute sea denizens lodge. 
The water is then forced out of the mouth, the food extricated 
from the meshes of the whalebone and advanced to the throat. 
The mouth is so well protected with this bone, which looks like 
a low, dense brush thicket, that nothing can enter the throat 
until it has proved palatable. 

The whale breathes through two slits, 18 inches long, located 
on top of the head. Forty-five minutes is as long as the great 
mammal can remain under water without breathing; but when 
swimming fast it vdll be seen spouting at intervals of from five 
to seven minutes. The spouting is caused by the slits or air- 
holes being slightly under the surface. The tube through which 
air passes to the lungs is said to be three inches in diameter. 

The color of the back and sides is black and the skin smooth. 
The underpart of the body and flippers is white, save for an 
occasional black speck and fine black lines — mottled. Flutes, 



72 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

four inches deep, corrugate the beast's underpart from tail to 
neck. In these grooves are to be seen a great many small 
barnacles, and on the neck and lower jaw barnacles grow as 
large as goose eggs. 

From $8,000 to $10,000 is the value of a ton of whalebone 
from a " right " whale, 800 to 1,000 pounds of this elastic sub- 
stance coming from the mouth. The bone grows in the form 
of strips, from 6 to 10 feet in length, and 6 to 12 inches in 
width. One end of a strip is fringed with fine, black hair- 
fiber, this part of the whale finding its way to the top of persons* 
heads, as out of it some " human-hair " wigs are made. A 
"right" whale, 10 to 15 feet longer than a humpback and in 
value equivalent to eight of the latter, is worth from $5,000 to 
$7,000, but of the hundreds killed in the Indian Ocean during 
a season not more than half a dozen of this specie will be among 
the number. The whalebone from the humpback is in little 
demand, growing but two feet long, and is of inferior quality. 
The bone in the mouth of the "right" whale calf — strips a 
foot long and tender — is of great value. These are shredded, 
the fine, soft fiber being made into artists' painting brushes. 

The cow whale brings forth young each year, but triplets 
or even twins are unknown in the cetacean family. A calf 
first opens its eyes in the sea and soon finds its way to its 
mother's side, where, securely snuggled by a strong fin, it re- 
mains from three to six days. When able to " paddle its own 
canoe," the baby whale — a born swimmer — keeps close to its 
mother's side, either up to the surface to " blow," adding a 
tiny whitecap to the bounding main, or to accompany its ma- 
ternal guardian to feed in salty pastures of the deep. A whale 
calf nurses like a colt. When a nursing cow whale is har- 
pooned, whalers generally kill the calf also, as it would starve 
if left without its mother's nourishment. 

At certain times of the year whales move in pairs — male 
and female. When a hunter meets a couple the female is first 
selected for slaughter; the sex is known by the cow being 
larger. The male whale will not desert his dead mate, and 
thus becomes an easy victim of the hunter's harpoon. On the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 73 

other hand, if the male be shot, the female immediately takes 
flight. 

A whale is 17 feet long when born. At three years of age 
it has attained a length of 30 feet, and during the succeeding 
eight or nine years reaches its full length — from 45 to 50 
feet; so that it requires ten to twelve years to reach its maxi- 
mum size. Old whalers are loth to hazard a statement con- 
cerning the natural lifetime of the cetacean. 



CHAPTER III 

ZuLULAND was next visited. During the reign of their 
kings Zulus controlled their own internal affairs — made their 
own laws, apportioned the land, chastised their subjects, con- 
ferred with British officials concerning border line rules — 
were, in fact, in every sense, a distinct, unfettered race of peo- 
ple. Zululand was Zululand then. War after war, with 
gatling guns and modern fighting implements pitted against 
their mediaeval arms — the assegai, or spear — naturally made 
the tribe submissive and wiped out their border line. So long 
as they had a king there was always danger of trouble from 
Zululand. Dinizulu, the last ruler, was taken prisoner, and 
was " boarded " in a Transvaal penitentiary until a few years 
ago, when he died. The border line between Natal and Zulu- 
land passed away, and the interests of the Zulus and the af- 
fairs of Zululand are now looked after and administered by 
officials of the Province of Natal. 

The train, passing through cuts and grades, is half embowered 
with flowering trees, growing on the banks. The giant bamboo, 
in obedience to a summery wind, was gracefully swaying to 
and fro; the aloe, with its flowery top, sixteen feet above the 
ground, sentinel-like, contributed its share to the floral en- 
semble, and, together with an almost endless tract of soft, light 
green sugar-cane growing on each side of the railroad track, 
offered a mellow landscape found in but few parts of the 
world. 

A depressing contrast to nature — the Indian coolie scourge 
— is witnessed at every stopping place in this part. We were 
in the sugar growing section of Natal, and, as mentioned previ- 
ously, Indian coolies are employed entirely in this industry. 
There they were by hundreds, most of them of objectionable 

74 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 75 

appearance, and a dirty, almost naked, baby astraddle every 
woman's hip, the Hindu mother's custom of carrying her child. 

We reached the Tugela River, the border line between Natal 
and Zululand, and, thirty miles further, the train stopped at 
Ginginhlovu, our destination. Ginginhlovu (elephant, in 
Zulu) was 93 miles from where we started, and the train was 
seven hours running that distance, running to schedule, too. 
Indian shanty stores were pleasantly absent, as none but white 
traders are allowed to do business in Zululand. 

The post cart is the stage coach of South Africa. Strongly 
built, it is covered with canvas, has two wide wheels and con- 
tains two seats. A seat will accommodate three persons in a 
pinch — the maximum capacity of the coach being five pas- 
sengers and the driver — but as the latter usually takes up two- 
thirds of the front seat to handle the large team required to 
draw the coach, the ordinary capacity of the cart is four pas- 
sengers, three occupying the rear and one the front seat. A 
frame at the back serves for luggage, and small hand baggage 
may be put under the seats. Four or six mules comprise a cart 
team, the charge being ten cents a mile. 

We left the railroad, and our mode of travel into the in- 
terior of Zululand was by cart, wagon — a conveyance drawn 
by beasts. Five passengers, the maximum number, squeezed 
themselves into the cart. The next trip inland was on the fol- 
lowing day, for which we would have to wait, the station-master 
had informed us, " unless there was a transport going to 
Eshowe." Eventually a transport — a truck 18 feet long — 
was found, the driver of which said he thought he had room for 
another passenger. The transport, ridged with bags of corn- 
meal five feet high, was drawn by four teams of mules. 

"Climb on," said the driver to a group of six; "we'll be 
starting in a few minutes." Three women, two men and a 
boy began to scale the transport up to the top of the load. 
" Get up," said the driver to the mules, when a start was made 
for the interior of Zululand, the passengers sitting on the top 
tier of cornmeal bags of the loaded African transport. 

We traveled slowly seventeen miles over a good macadam 



76 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

road. " That's the home of Dinizulu, the Zulu king," said the 
boy passenger, as we passed a frame building close to the road. 
We reached our destination just at sundown — Eshowe, the 
old capital of Zululand, and one of the prettiest places visited 
in South Africa. 

Shade trees, flowers, comfortable homes built in spacious 
yards; small, but substantial, public buildings; a good library, 
a wooded glen just away from the town, in which had been 
built a splendid cement swimming pool, give an insight into 
what the old Zulu capital looks like now. The comfortable 
appearance of Eshowe has been made by the European. Eng- 
lish and native weekly papers are printed here, and the quality 
of the work is good. 

A European boy volunteered to show me about town. He 
had taken me to the swimming pool, and as we were passing 
through a timbered portion of this natural park he suddenly 
shouted, " Look out ! " He then pointed to a big fly that had 
just passed between us. " If that fly had struck you the bitten 
part would swell up as large as a hen's egg. Often the effects 
of the bite will assume the nature of an ulcer," he added. A 
great number of flies in South Africa draw blood when they 
strike a victim, whether man or beast. 

We had 35 miles more to travel before our last stop in Zulu- 
land would be reached. The post cart left at five o'clock in 
the morning, with four passengers, and was drawn by four 
mules. The road was level for the most part, with high grass 
growing on each side, broken only by an occasional giraffe 
thorn or mimosa tree. The mimosa was in flower, and so 
much fragrance was diffused from the thorn tree that one 
would know of its existence if it were not in sight a hundred 
feet away. 

" Hello, Graham! " shouted one of the passengers to a white 
man who stood in the door of a building at which we had 
pulled up. We had reached N'Halini, the first relay, where 
we breakfasted. " Hello ! everybody," returned Graham, for 
he proved to be the proprietor of the eating station. " I haven't 
any eggs to serve you this morning, but I'm strong on steak, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 77 

ham and bacon. Bring out a big piece of steak to make up for 
the eggs," he directed one of his Zulu boys. 

Graham is a sailor with a wooden leg. He entertained us 
by telling how many times he had been caught in the net fastened 
to the boom of a sailing ship — a "wind-jammer," as he 
termed that style of craft — and how, when encountering the 
fierce gales that blow in the Straits of Magellan, he had been 
blown entirely off his feet, his body being lifted in mid-air, his 
legs suggestive of ribbons, while holding to a deck rail. 

"Did you get enough to eat?" he asked, when we had 
finished. And we admitted we had. Graham had two pigs 
eaten by crocodiles the day before, and he could not restrain 
himself from bemoaning his luck. 

"So long, fellows! I'll have eggs for you when you come 
back. So long!" were the parting words of the onetime 
sailor, as, with an additional team of mules, we started on our 
second relay. 

" Sit forward, please, while we are going up this seven-mile 
hill; the cart is tilting back too much," said the driver. We 
had five passengers now, as another one had got on at Graham's 
place. It's easier to say Graham's place than it is to try to 
pronounce the Zulu name. 

On, on we traveled over those beautiful hills of Zululand, 
the passengers chatting as we moved along. Grassy hills, 500 
feet high, bare of timber and even shrubbery, with native huts 
built on the sides, and small patches of corn growing here and 
there, proved of interest. Vultures were flying high up in the 
air, bevies of guinea fowl scurried to cover, and the wagtail, 
a black and white bird of swallow size, with a tail ten inches 
long, crossed the roadway from time to time. We had been 
told of the beauty of Zululand, and nothing had been exag- 
gerated. 

Grass — long and short — was growing everywhere, enough 
to feed millions of cattle, and not a " critter " grazing in sight. 
The Zulus, before and for some years after the white man 
settled in South Africa, were a wealthy tribe. Hundreds of 
thousands of cattle, sheep and goats roamed over and fed off 



78 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

these ever-grassy hills ; but tick fever — East Coast fever, it is 
as often called — had fattened the vultures and made the Zulu 
poor. 

We reached the second relay, then the third, but the beauty 
of landscape did not diminish. Our next relay will be the end 
of our stage journey — Melmoth — 52 miles from the railroad. 

" The stopping off place " is a term often heard, but when 
one reaches a point where there is no railroad and the terminus 
only of post carts, it is certainly the stopping off place. Euro- 
peans live in remote places still beyond Melmoth, and their 
mail is brought to them by native postmen on foot. 

We reached our destination early in the afternoon. Mail 
for persons living beyond " the stopping off place," brought 
with us in the cart, was to start on its way at three o'clock. 
As it was a week before Christmas, the post contained a great 
number of Christmas presents. The mail finally being sorted, 
it was entrusted to the postman's care. All the letters could 
be put in a coat pocket, but the presents strapped to his body 
made a heavy load. 

A Zulu, six feet tall, stood on the porch of the squatty post- 
office building, looking like an off-colored Santa Claus. Hav- 
ing reached for a stick a foot longer than his height, he stood 
up straight, waiting for the word to go. 

" All right, Jim," the postmaster ordered in the native tongue. 
" Ba, ba," returned the negro in a low voice, bowing and salut- 
ing, with one hand raised to the side of his head. He turned 
round quickly and walked alertly in the direction where white 
people live, to be made happy by presents sent to them by 
friends living in distant lands. Thirty-three miles was the 
distance the Zulu carried the mail. It was three o'clock in 
the afternoon when he left the Melmoth post office, and was 
due at the next post station at 9:30 the morning following. 

" He'll be there on the minute," the postmaster replied to 
a question as to whether the carrier could travel the distance 
in the time allotted, considering the heavy load. " He never 
fails us. Always on time — in hail, rain or shine," he con- 
cluded. 




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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 79 

Zulu huts are round, the framework being of poles bent 
half circular, tied with grass rope. The arch poles are sup- 
ported with bent poles strung crosswise, these being made se- 
cure by grass rope. Roof and sides are covered with grass and 
reeds, secured to the framework with the same kind of rope. 
The floor is of soil, generally taken from an ant-hill, and be- 
comes as compact as cement. In the center of the hut, what 
may be termed a sort of earthen vessel is built, sometimes 18 
inches across, and this is the cooking place — the stove. Zulus 
build good huts. No windows are provided, however, and but 
one low entrance. The cooking utensils are limited to an 
iron kettle, with three legs. This is placed in the "stove." 
Cornmeal (called mealy meal) is the chief food, which is 
boiled in the three-legged kettle, and, when cooked, the family 
gathers round it, some sitting on the floor and others resting 
on their haunches. Each member is supplied with a wooden 
spoon, and with these they eat mealy meal as long as there is 
any to be eaten. A ladle to stir the mush, cut out of a cala- 
bash, is generally seen in a Zulu home. The bed is a cotton 
blanket, spread on the earthen floor, and a bowed piece of wood, 
resting on two upright pieces at each end, about four inches 
high, serves as a pillow. A soap box may occasionally be found 
in a hut, but no chairs. The interior is generally black with 
smoke from the " stove," a strong, sooty odor being noticeable. 

The Zulu tribe does not " colonize " — or, rather, assemble 
in villages, as each family live by themselves. Huts are nu- 
merous, of course, but one rarely, if ever, finds a settlement — a 
town. They live in " kraals." A kraal is a group of huts, 
numbering from two to ten, surrounded by a fence, generally 
composed of thorn brush. The collection of huts generally 
indicates the number of wives that that Zulu has. One hut is 
always larger than the others, this being occupied by the first 
wife. Where cattle are kept together in a small area inclosed 
by a fence, it becomes a cattle kraal. Sometimes one kraal 
serves as a shelter for both natives and cattle. 

Polygamy is common. The method of obtaining a wife is 
by purchase from the father. Cattle is the medium of barter, 



8o SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

from lo to 80 cows being the number asked for each girl. A 
wife who can be bought for 10 cows is just the ordinary girl. 
The daughter of a petty chief would bring 20 cows, and a 
girl of royal descent could not be purchased for less than 70 
to 100 cows. 

When a Zulu wishes to marry he comes to an understanding 
with the girl's father concerning the number of cattle that must 
be paid for the bride, and he must not forget to include among 
them another nice beast, which is slaughtered and eaten at the 
wedding feast. The marriage always takes place at the home 
of the bridegroom. The bride, with her attendants, arrives the 
evening before the wedding day. The extra ox is killed early 
in the morning. 

The bride wears a veil of beads over her face for several 
hours while the ceremony is taking place. Certain persons are 
appointed to celebrate the marriage. Dancing is indulged in 
during this period. The father of the bride steps forward 
among the merrymakers and bespeaks the merits of his daughter. 
An old woman runs backward and forward among the guests, 
holding in her hand a small stick, pointing upward, and cack- 
ling like a hen. Dancing is going on all the time, one " group " 
of dancers holding the " stage " until exhausted, when another 
group will fill the vacated space and inject renewed life into the 
ceremony. 

The bridegroom must show his valor during the pow-wow. 
He steps into the arena with two sticks in his hand — stout 
walking-sticks. A series of thrusts, feints, dodges, ducking, 
then a terrible thrust; more fencing, another awful jab; snort- 
ing, sweating, uttering deep grunts of satisfaction; stamping 
his feet heavily on the ground to make a noise, imitating thun- 
der, which denotes powerfulness — he is fighting an imaginary 
foe, and when the bride's father and wedding party signify by 
applause that he has been victorious — that he has killed his 
adversary in mortal combat — he retires, carrying in his bosom 
the assurance that he is a Zulu warrior " to the manner born." 

From 300 to 400 Zulus attend a wedding, which lasts some- 
times several days. Native beer, made from corn, is brought 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 8i 

in large quantities in hollow calabashes by the guests. Faction 
fights, often brought about through uninvited onlookers, but 
generally from drinking too much beer, frequently prove an 
exciting feature of a Zulu wedding. 

Under no circumstances can a wife leave her husband. A 
bargain is a bargain with the Zulu. On the other hand, if the 
bride's merits have been misrepresented, her husband will take 
her to her father's kraal and demand the return of the cattle 
he paid for her. Though the girl gets the cattle in name, the 
father really has the cows. 

When a husband dies, his wives are not left alone in the 
world. It is a Zulu custom that a brother of the deceased look 
after the widows. It may seem an imposition on a brother to 
be saddled with two large families — his own and his dead 
brother's — yet, bearing in mind that the widows, collectively, 
are mothers of half a dozen to fifteen daughters, it means that 
the guardian would fall heir to a nice herd of cows when the 
girls reach womanhood. Zulu families, however, are not large, 
averaging about five children. 

A Zulu's standing with his people is based on the number of 
wives he has. One with six to nine helpmates is considered in 
good circumstances. In a general sense, the wives get along 
agreeably when they number from two to six. The first wife 
is mistress of those who come after her. Under the king's 
ruling, putting to death a favorite wife by the others occurred 
from time to time; but in such instances the wives numbered 
eight to twelve. Murders of this character have become of 
rare occurrence, however, since Zululand has been governed by 
the white man. 

Wives and children are of little or no expense to a husband. 
He does not work after he has become the possessor of several 
wives, and the corn is planted, hoed, husked and ground into 
mealy meal by the wives. None of them wear shoes, nor 
hats, nor coats. Cotton blankets, which cost from 25 to 35 
cents, are their chief covering. No money is required for 
baby carriages, as, when they are not snugly dished in a blanket 
on the mother's back, with the ends tied in front across her 



82 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

chest, they are seen creeping about the kraalyard. A visit to 
the country districts will find native women hoeing or working 
at something else with their babes tied to their back. Their 
husbands are in their huts, smoking pipes or sleeping. Zulu 
women look as strong as the men. Save for their babes, all 
burdens are borne on their heads. This mode of bearing weight 
is often carried to the ridiculous. A spool of thread, a tomato, 
a tincup or similar light article may be seen balanced on a 
woman's head. But she will carry in the same way, with as 
apparent ease, though, a loo-pound bag of cornmeal, a five 
gallon tin of water, a big three-legged iron kettle, and other 
weights that would tax the strength of a strong man. The 
Zulu woman's superior physique is accounted for, to a large 
degree, by the bearing of burdens on her head from early child- 
hood. 

A Zulu woman " dressed up " is a striking figure. An ocher- 
colored cone of hair rises from her head sometimes as high as 
lo inches. One unfamiliar with the native's hair, as seen rest- 
ing flat on the head, would never imagine the kinky mop, when 
straightened, would measure from 12 to 18 inches, but it will. 
The natural color of the hair, of course, is black, and its un- 
natural color is brought about by the application of a thin, red- 
mud solution. Grass stalks, placed inside, form a frame, which 
keeps the cone from settling. At the bottom, a band, generally 
a strip of hide, keeps the " ornament " firm. A long hat pin, 
whittled thin from a large bone of a beast, also plays a part 
in keeping the " stove-pipe " properly poised. Her face is 
broad and rather masculine, the expression stoical. No head 
covering is worn, and weights are borne on women's heads, 
cone or no cone. Her broad, strong shoulders are generally 
bare, and she always stands straight. Strings are fastened 
around her neck — sometimes these are hairs from an elephant's 
tail — to which are attached square pieces of cloth, with col- 
ored beads fastened on them, resembling dominos. Generally 
wire bangles are worn on one arm, these in some instances 
being so numerous that they cover the arm from wrist to elbow. 
Often the skin of a calf or a sheep or that of a wild beast is 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 83 

wrapped around her chest, passing under her arms, and fast- 
ened at the back. This " waist " extends in front to about the 
knees, and sometimes it is ornamented with beads, pebbles or 
small seashells, A short skirt of rough cloth extends to just 
below the knees, so that her legs from that point are bare, as 
precious few native women wear shoes. They have none. 
Only married women, or women engaged to be married, ap- 
pear in the cone-shaped hair fashion. 

Polygamy is conducive to thrift as well as to laziness. Now- 
adays few cattle are left to sons by fathers, as tick fever has 
almost bared the country of this means of food and barter. 
So, in order to get a wife, a Zulu must earn money with which 
to buy cows. The umfaan will save half of his wages of 
$2.50 or $3 a month that he receives as houseboy. When he 
has saved enough to buy a cow — they can be had for $15 — 
it is put to graze close to his father's kraal, and he will save 
enough money to buy another cow or two. In the meantime 
calves are grazing, and by the time he has reached 21 years of 
age he generally has enough cows to buy one wife. Numbers 
of young men go to the Kimberley and Transvaal mines, where 
the wages run from $15 to $30 a month, with board. Unlike 
the American negro, the Zulu saves his money. But he will 
not work more than six months in the year at most. It is said 
a great deal of the Zulu's cash savings is hid in the ground. 
They are suspicious of the stability of banks, so keep the money 
where they can see it when they wish to. 

The native of South Africa is as independent of the white 
man's aid to-day as he was a thousand years ago. His wants 
being so few, and his food easily obtained, he is not compelled 
to work for the white man. He is not ambitious for riches. 

When a Zulu's hut is built on government ground the tax 
per year is $3.50, which includes all the land he feels disposed 
to work. He does not plant all his corn in one field, but has 
two or three patches growing not far from the kraal. If his 
hut is built on private land, the landowner charges the native 
from $5 to $10 a year rent. Land for cultivation, however, 
is included in the rent of the private landowner. Some of the 



84 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

public men of South Africa entertain the belief that if a 
heavier government tax w^ere imposed on the native it would 
force him to w^ork more — -smoke him out, as it w^ere. Just 
think of the snug income some Europeans who have from lOO 
to 300 huts on their undeveloped land are receiving from na- 
tives, as they collect from $5 to $10 for each hut. The native 
still pays the $3.50 government tax also. "While Zulus as a 
race are honest, few Europeans will do business with them on 
a credit basis ; they must pay cash for what they buy. 

Honesty among Zulu house servants is an admirable trait. 
One might place a bushel of $20 gold pieces in the center of a 
room, be away from home for months, and on return find the 
money where it had been left. This applies more to what is 
termed a " raw kafir." When they have been among white 
people for a year or two their traits of honesty often slacken. 
The black man, as a rule, will pick up all the white man's 
vices, but few of his virtues. 

A violation of the Zulu code of honesty was formerly pun- 
ishable by death, and in some cases is still adhered to. The 
theft of a horse, cow, sheep, goat, pig or dog brought the death 
penalty. The moral code is inflexible. If a girl leaves a 
kraal to go into service in the towns and returns not as good 
as she was when she left the hut, she is likely to disappear 
mysteriously. A native guilty of committing a crime with a 
Zulu woman may be put to death. 

Few deformed or crippled members of this tribe are seen. 
Under the kings' ruling an imperfect child at birth was not 
permitted to live. 

Respect for old age is another excellent trait of the Zulu 
tribe. Were a mother or father to be living with a son and 
his wives, the father is "boss" of the kraal; and were the 
father to die the mother is the head of the kraal. The elder 
of two persons is respected by the younger. The oldest son 
has absolute rule over the other children; but, if the father be 
a chief, the youngest son succeeds him. Indian-like, Zulus 
walk in single file, and the younger always walks behind the 
elder. The woman always walks behind the man and carries 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 85 

his belongings. A Zulu woman is never seen alone — always 
with a child, woman, or girl. 

Zulus have their own name for Europeans. A man who 
wore spectacles would be " four-eyed " in their language ; a 
person with a scar on his face or hands, would be " scar " in 
the native language; one having a deep voice or light voice — 
that would be his name with the native. Long hair, short 
hair, mustache, a smooth face — any mark or peculiarity — 
Zulus would know him by words pertaining to these. 

Natives are not allowed to own or carry firearms or any 
weapons used by Europeans. The same restriction applies to 
native police. A knobkerry, a pair of handcuffs and a sjambok 
(a strip of rhinoceros hide like a short whip) are the only 
weapons a native policeman is supplied with. The policy is 
a wise one, for, if the blacks knew how to use firearms, it would 
mean a constant menace to the whites. Zulus often carry their 
assegais with them in their country, and are allowed to carry 
sticks at all times, as a dog will attack a black, and the same 
dog would not even growl at a white man; besides, deadly 
snakes are numerous. 

The Zulu system of " telegraphing " news from one part of 
the country to another is an interesting accomplishment. Re- 
sults of battles and approaching danger are shouted from hill- 
top to hilltop for hundreds of miles with surprising speed and 
accuracy. In crises Zulus seem to rise out of the ground. 

Sugar, salt, kerosene, cotton blankets, tobacco, snuff, lan- 
terns, Jew's-harps, concertinas, mouth organs, beads, clieap 
spangles, bright calicoes, whistles, and numerous other things 
of a tawdry character are what Zulus spend their money on. 
Six cents is the cheapest purchase he can make, as the three- 
penny piece is the smallest coin in circulation. They will 
haggle and haggle with a trader sometimes for half an hour 
over a six-cent purchase, if the trader will listen to them. 

" Bonsella " is a word one will often hear if he has dealings 
with the Zulu. " Bonsella " means he wants something that 
does not belong to him. With a six-cent purchase he will in- 
sist on a " bonsella." A thin slice of a small bar of soap, a few 



86 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

grains of sugar, a little pinch of salt, a piece of string will do, 
if he cannot do better ; and should he fail in getting something 
from the trader he will ask for a drink of water. 

With similar weapons, and each equally skilled in their use, 
and even numbers, one is pretty safe in making the statement 
that no man can fight better nor for a longer period than the 
Zulu. Their military uniform used to be cow-tails secured 
to a ring around the neck. The tails were so thick they pre- 
sented the appearance of a complete robe or skin. The Zulu 
can store enough food away at one meal to last him for 24 
to 36 hours without becoming fatigued. He can run from 50 
to 70 miles without stopping. Coupled with these staying 
qualities, it was the custom with some of the Zulu kings to kill 
all soldiers who returned defeated in battle. That left but 
two courses open to him — death or victory. 

The Zulu has but a poor and varied quality of religion. 
Some select the sun as their guiding light, others a white bird, 
again hawks will appeal to him as being worthy to look up to. 
Unlike the Mohammedan, his knees are not calloused from 
kneeling to gods of any sort. 

Missionaries claim to have 200,000 followers of the Chris- 
tian religion, which is nearly one-quarter of the Zulu popula- 
tion — one million. People who live in black countries place 
little credit to the native for having adopted the European faith. 
In fact, there is a prejudice against the mission native. If a 
man in South Africa were in need of two '* boys," and two mis- 
sion " boys " and two kraal " boys " had appeared for work at 
the same time, he would at once select the kraal " boys." When 
a native begins to wear shoes and a European hat, his useful- 
ness as an employee generally proves of doubtful quantity. 
When he embraces the Christian religion he is limited to but 
one wife. That does not absolve him, however, from coming 
forward with the cows for his bride. 

Zululand, and South Africa generally, is well looked after 
by European mounted police. The duty of the mounted police 
is to see that firearms do not find their way to the native; that 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 87 

whisky is not smuggled over the border; to learn if discon- 
tent exists that might turn into a revolution. The native police, 
unmounted, arrests natives for minor offenses, and tries to find 
out from his brother violations of the law that the white man 
could not know other than through his minion. 

" Ba, ba " (father) , is a native salute to a European. A bow 
always accompanies the words. It is customary to return the 
native's recognition, although some Europeans will not go to 
the trifling trouble to do so, which is discourteous, to say the 
least. 

Should one be benighted, a European does not think twice 
as to whether he will go to a native's hut and sleep on the 
floor with the family. In so doing he will be offered every 
hospitality. 

Deadly, poisonous snakes are so numerous in this section that 
settlers carry with them a snakebite outfit. This consists of a 
strong cord, a syringe containing a poison antidote, and a small 
lance attached. In Zululand and Natal a rattle-snake is con- 
sidered almost harmless. The puff adder, that coils itself in 
a pathway and is very sluggish, bites one by a backward spring. 
His fangs grow that way. He cannot bite after one has passed 
him. Death shortly ensues from the bite of this reptile if not 
attended to at once. 

A person will die in 20 to 30 minutes after being bitten by 
a mamba. There are two kinds of this deadly snake — the 
green and black — but no difference in the quality of poison 
they inject into their victim. Death from a mamba's bite is 
said to be an awful one. Sometimes the bitten person's head 
will burst and appear as a pumpkin would look when thrown 
with force on a stone. This will account for the settlers 
carrying the snakebite outfit. The cord is used to wrap around 
the member bitten above where the fangs entered, to keep the 
poison from getting further into the system; the lance is used 
to cut out a piece of flesh where bitten, and the syringe is used 
to inject the antidote accurately at the raw part of the member 
where the fangs stopped. This precautionary measure must 



88 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

be gone through within a couple of minutes or one will fall 
a victim to the mamba's fangs. The snakes grow in length 
from three to four feet. 

" Wood and iron " houses — corrugated iron mostly — is the 
style of European homes seen in Zululand. This also will 
apply quite generally to the country districts of South Africa. 
A half dozen of these, one story high — a postoffice, three gen- 
eral stores, a court house and a hotel — are the buildings about 
which the commercial life of Melmoth centers. A church 
building is generally numbered among these groups, and always 
a graveyard out of proportion. Many of the hotels of Zulu- 
land are built somewhat on the kraal plan. The dining and 
sitting rooms — sometimes one room answers both purposes — 
are in a one-story " wood and iron " building. Many of the 
bedrooms — small houses resting on posts a foot to eighteen 
inches from the ground — are located a short distance from the 
main building, which they sometimes half-encircle. Each house, 
by partitioning, contains several small bedrooms. The beds 
with which these rooms are furnished are generally half-size 
iron ones, and the light provided is often a candle. 

" Keep to the native trail until you come to that clump of 
wattle trees," directed the driver of the post cart when ten. 
miles from Melmoth on my return to Ginginhlovu. A printer 
who had got tired of the smell of printers' ink moved to 
Zululand to make his living in the dual capacity of farmer and 
trader. So, with a grip in my hand, I started over the Zulu 
trail to the clump of trees in the distance. I had not gone far 
when I heard a shout, but could not tell whence it came. It 
may be the natives telegraphing the start of an uprising, I 
mused. " Halloa! " was again heard, and, looking in another 
direction, a wide-brimmed hat was looming over the arch of a 
grassy hill. It was the printer. The post cart driver had 
" set me down," as a Britisher would say, at the wrong trail. 

" The natives wouldn't sell me any chickens when I first came 
here, so I wouldn't sell them any goods unless they paid for 
them with chickens," was one of the difficulties the printer- 
trader recounted in his effort to hew his way in Zululand. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 89 

" Sarah," addressing his wife, " come with us this afternoon 
while we visit the natives' huts, as you can speak the language 
better than I," obligingly suggested the sturdy trader, who had 
beaten freight trains over the United States, sailed before the 
mast, and had tramped the desert of West Australia to the gold 
mines at Coolgardie. 

Through the trader's wife we chatted with the Zulu women 
hoeing corn, with their pickaninnies on their backs. Later we 
squeezed through the small entrances into hut after hut. The 
lady of the Zulu home explained how the natives winnowed 
the mealy meal by blowing the dust or bran from it with their 
breath when passing from the hands, to lodge in a wooden 
bowl under; how they stirred the meal; explained their scanty 
washing outfit, how the wives got along together, and other 
interesting features of Zulu life. After spending several in- 
teresting days at the printer-trader's home, it was time to say 
good-by; and I left with a keen feeling of indebtedness for 
the unstinted hospitality and kindness shown me. 

"I've kept my word — I've got the eggs!" remarked 
Graham when we had pulled up at his place for luncheon on 
the return trip. 

With pages left unwritten of the Zulu, the strongest, most 
intelligent and best built tribe of the Bantu race, we will leave 
the sailor's place for Eshowe, take the post cart to Ginginhlovu, 
and return by rail to Durban. 



CHAPTER IV 

My first introduction to South Africa railway travel took 
place on my initial trip to Johannesburg. The compartment 
type of corridor carriage, as passenger coaches are termed, with 
an aisle at the side, similar to that of Great Britain, is in use. 
Meter gauge — 3 feet 6 inches — is the standard of that coun- 
try, 14 inches narrower than what is known as " standard 
gauge " — 4 feet 8 inches — in the United States and in some 
of the European countries. The narrow spaces of the com- 
partment (6 by 6% feet) inclined one to wish for a two person 
seat. Two out of a filled compartment have direct access to a 
window — the two passengers whose seats are the outside end 
ones. Most travelers have seats reserved, in some instances a 
week in advance, their names being written on a card on the 
outside of the car at the compartment assigned. 

Compartments in the railway coaches are heated with what 
is called foot-warmers — that is, sometimes the compartment 
will be provided with this device. The foot-warmer is an iron 
pipe, two feet long, eight inches wide, three inches thick, and 
filled with hot water. The foot-warmer is all right when 
there are but two persons in a compartment, or when two foot- 
warmers are supplied and four persons occupy a compartment, 
but when six or eight passengers occupy a compartment — well, 
16 passengers' feet cannot get on four feet of piping. That is 
the only means of heating passenger coaches in South Africa. 

In some respects accommodation is better on South African 
trains than in the United States and Europe — every passenger 
having a place to sleep, for instance. Six persons can sleep in 
a compartment, but five is generally the maximum number as- 
signed, the extra berth being reserved for hand baggage. Fre- 
quently, when travel is light, one has a compartment to him- 

90 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 91 

self. The back of the compartment against which one leans 
while riding is portable, and when pulled out straight is fas- 
tened at each end. Above that shelf, or berth, is another. The 
same applies to the opposite side of the compartment, which, 
with seats on each side, termed the lower berths, make six in 
all — three on each side. These berths, or sleeping shelves, 
are two feet wide and upholstered. Travelers generally carry 
with them a cushion and blanket, or rug, as it is termed, which 
is used for sleeping purposes. The bedding furnished by the 
railway cost 60 cents. If one is traveling two nights in suc- 
cession the bedding is rolled up by a steward in the morning 
and put on the top shelf of the compartment, where it remains 
during the day, and is taken down the second night for use. 
Sixty cents for two nights — 30 cents a night. Meals on the 
train are very reasonable. Breakfast and luncheon costs 50 
cents and dinner 60 cents. So, paying but 60 cents for a bed, 
as it were, and not more than 60 cents for a meal, one finds a 
great reduction in traveling expenses in South Africa compared 
to what is charged for the same service in the United States. 
Railroad fare is higher, however, than in America, the sec- 
ond class rate being three and four cents a mile, and first- 
class six cents a mile. A hundred pounds of baggage is 
allowed a passenger. The schedule is slow compared with 
that in England and on some roads in America, twenty-five 
miles an hour being as fast as trains run. Long delays take 
place at stations, for when a passenger train stops it often seems 
as if it had been abandoned. 

From Durban to Pietermaritzburg, a distance of 70 miles, 
an elevation of 3,000 feet is ascended. Some cultivated land 
is seen from the train, but grassy, timberless hills, with smoke 
and flames from prairie fires showing here and there off the 
railway, is what a stranger notices continuously. 

Pietermaritzburg, the capital of Natal, was first settled by 
the Dutch. The town hall, postoffice, and government build- 
ings are imposing structures. In addition, one finds a small 
museum, botanical garden and good city parks, an electric 
railway system and a good railway station. One is surprised 



92 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

when visiting small cities located so far out of the world, as it 
seems, to find them so up to date. Locally, the place is called, 
for short, Maritzburg. 

The Voortrekkers' Church is a historical monument to, and 
a solemn reminder of, the terrible sufferings of the Voortrek- 
kers during the dark days between the massacres by the hordes 
of Dingaan, the Zulu king, of over 600 men, women and chil- 
dren, in February, 1838, and the eventful overthrowing of Zulu 
power, at Blood River, in December t)f the same year. The 
massacre of Piet Retief, leader of a colony of Boer emigrants, 
and some of his band by the native despot at the head kraal, 
and the slaughter of his followers at Weenen, which imme- 
diately followed, is closely identified with the erection of the 
church. Retief and some of his followers had been led to be- 
lieve that Dingaan wished to make friends of them. While in 
the king's kraal, they were seized and massacred. Andries Pre- 
torius, with 450 men, some months later, started on an ex- 
pedition to avenge the massacre. Religious services were held 
every day during the march of the expedition, and a vow was 
made by Pretorius' party that, if they came out victorious in 
battle with the bloodthirsty and perfidious Zulu king, a church 
to the honor of God would be erected. Pretorius and his 
burghers met the Zulu forces at a river then unnamed. Fifteen 
thousand natives were arrayed against 450 Boers. After sev- 
eral hours' fighting the Zulus fled, leaving behind 5,000 dead 
and wounded. The river was said to be red with the blood 
that flowed from wounded natives, and that stream has since 
been known as Blood River. Dingaan's Day, December 16, 
one of the national holidays in South Africa, is observed in 
honor of the bravery of Pretorius and his followers and the 
avenging of the foul massacre of Piet Retief and his band of 
emigrants. The church promised by Pretorius was built in 
1 84 1, three years later. 

Maritzburg natives are mostly Basutos, the only tribe in 
South Africa that white troops have never conquered. Most 
of Basutoland is situated in the Drakensburg Mountains, some 
parts of which contain rich land. They have a king, and are 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 93 

said to be wealthy. Europeans cannot travel in Basutoland 
without permission from the ruler or some high native officer. 
A large amount of firearms and munitions of war is said to 
have been smuggled into their country. The Basuto is feared 
by all in South Africa, and that will explain why Basutoland 
is for Basutos only. 

Now we travel northward to Ladysmith, passing Spion Kop 
south of the Siege City. Ragged turrets and spires are still to 
be seen, bearing gaping evidence of the days of suffering, hunger 
and fear that the brave besieged underwent in the Boer war. 
Historical Majuba Hill next comes in view, with Mount Pros- 
pect opposite. A tunnel has been bored through the land lying 
between Majuba and Mount Prospect, known as Laing's Nek. 
We travel over rough territory for a while, then find ourselves 
on the high veld, having left the Drakensburg mountain range 
behind. Continuing to Charlestown, on the south bank of the 
Vaal River, and crossing the river to Voxburg, we passed out 
of Natal and were in the Transvaal. 

" When do we scoff? " asked a passenger, at one stage of the 
journey. The term being a strange one, " I don't know " was 
what a stranger would reply, " Luncheon is ready " an- 
nounced a train steward just then as he passed the compart- 
ment. " Let's go and scoff. I'm hungry," said the South Af- 
rican. " Scoff," in South Africa, has the same meaning here 
as " grub " in the United States. 

The River Vaal is the boundary line between the Transvaal 
Province, Natal Province and the Orange Free State. The 
meaning of " Transvaal " is, across the Vaal — trans- Vaal. 

On we go over the grassy veld, or prairie, seeing very little 
cultivated ground, but cattle are grazing here and there. They 
are a brand peculiar to South Africa; their horns grow from 
two to three feet, their legs in keeping with the long horns, but 
their bodies are narrow and of light weight. The most pro- 
ductive feature of the veld were ant-hills, ranging in size from 
a water bucket to a hogshead. Thousands of these, as far as 
the eye could reach, mar the green landscape as freckles or 
small-pox mark an unblemished skin. 



94 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The railroad from Durban to Johannesburg is the crook- 
edest one might ride over. To save building a small bridge, 
the track turns for miles before it gets back to a straight line. 
When the railway was built the contractors were paid by the 
mile. Were the road constructed on ordinary scientific lines, 
the distance between the two cities could be reduced fifty miles. 
Yet, neat, well-built, attractive stations, surrounded with 
flower beds, were passed all the way. 

Over the freckled veld we rolled, with Johannesburg in the 
distance. The sky was clear, as most always, on the highlands 
of the Transvaal. We had traveled to over 6,O0O feet above 
sea level. Objects in the distance became less distinct — a 
haze seemed to gather. It was the smoke from the gold mines 
on the great Gold Reef — 

"Johannesburg!" — "Johannesburg!" a train guard an- 
nounced. 

A well built business city is the impression made by this 
great gold center of the world. A long street, with all the 
business of the city centered in it, one would expect to find on 
reaching Johannesburg. That is the style of some of our 
western mining towns. Instead, here are buildings, five to 
eight stories in height, of stone, brick, and steel, some of them 
a city block square in dimension, with arcades leading from one 
street to another; large plate glass windows where goods are 
attractively displayed; elevators and steam heat appliances — 
all centralized in a space five squares in extent. This is the 
retail section of Johannesburg. The great banking and min- 
ing companies' buildings — splendid structures, all of modern 
architecture — are situated half a dozen squares from this 
center. The financial district is a busy place. 

" Come, buyers ! Come, buyers ! Come, buyers ! " the 
auctioneer cries when he has an assignment to sell something in 
the marketplace. Every one is used to the call, and soon a 
group gathers around. " How much — how much — how 
much ? " the auctioneer starts with his glib sale talk. The arti- 
cles to be sold may be crates of oranges, bunches of bananas, a 
crate of chickens, geese, hares, wild fowl, pumpkins, tomatoes, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 95 

turnips, cornmeal, oats, hay, a pig, cattle, buck (deer) wilde- 
beeste (gnu) — anything edible for man and beast. Dozens 
of auctioneers are selling goods in the Johannesburg market at 
the same time. 

" That fellow is one of the lost tribe of Israel we read about 
in the Bible," spoke a Britisher who had been a produce dealer 
on the Johannesburg market for twenty years. " When the 
Rand was opened to the world," he continued, " the lost tribe 
cropped up in the Transvaal and that fellow is one of them." 
The buyer was engaged in a controversy with the old dealer, 
the point at issue hinging on one chicken, the Israelite con- 
tending he had bought thirteen hens, and the dealer maintain- 
ing there were only twelve to be sold. Arguments are taking 
place all the time between buyer, seller and auctioneer. 

Fifteen wildebeeste (gnu), with bent horns, and whiskers six 
inches long growing straight from their noses; blesbuck, bush- 
buck, springbuck by the dozens, lay on the ground in the mar- 
ket. Meat from these animals is sold as venison. Seeing these 
beasts of the plains stretched out in plain view, about which 
most people read but do not see, creates a far-off feeling — a 
feeling that, were the eyes shut to the brick and mortar walls 
close by, one would be in a wild, unblazed section of the world. 

Hundreds of ox teams in the market ground worm their way 
through piles of bags, hay and transports, led by the natives 
with bare feet and bare head. A South African ox team num- 
bers nine yoke — 18 oxen. The transport, or wagon, is 18 
feet long and strongly built. Seven feet of the rear is gen- 
erally covered with canvas, and under the " tent " is the home 
of the Boer, and often his wife, as weeks must elapse from the 
time a start has been made for market until their return, as the 
farms, in a great many instances, are located long distances 
from large towns. Time saving is not a factor in a great many 
sections of the sub-continent. The oxen plod slowly along 
an unkept road, always preceded by a kafir, who guides the 
caravan by rhinoceros-hide strips attached to the horns of the 
leading team. After traveling about three hours, a stop 
("outspan") is made for the cattle to feed, as grass grows 



96 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

bountifully on the veld. So, allowing time for " outspanning " 
and " inspanning," lO to 15 miles a day is generally the dis- 
tance covered by a transport. " Salted " cattle are the only 
ones in demand for working purposes. " Salted," when used 
in speaking of oxen, signifies that cattle can run the gauntlet 
of many diseases that so often bare the veld of grazing stock. 
These are cattle that have been sick but survived the attack. 
" Unsalted " stock are in little demand, as they often get sick 
after starting from the farmer's home and die by the roadside. 

One automobile to 15 persons is a high percentage in a city 
with about 100,000 white population, yet that indicates the 
wealth of the gold city on the high veld. There are over 800 
automobiles and the same number of motorcycles in Johannes- 
burg, and among these are the largest, most expensive and 
swiftest manufactured. 

The term " The Rand " embraces the mining districts of the 
Reef, and " Witwatersrand " is used when speaking of the dis- 
tricts located close to Johannesburg. 

Sixty miles of smokestacks — from Krugersdorp to Springs 
— will suggest at once the magnitude of the great Gold Reef. 
Dynamite is blasting the gold-bearing ore for that distance 24 
hours a day; black smoke is rolling out of high smokestacks 
from strong fires, under boilers in which steam is generated to 
furnish power to hoist the ore from thousands of feet under- 
ground to the stamp mills at the top; great dirt heaps — 
cyanide banks, as they are termed — circle about and wall in 
thrifty mining towns, that are not seen until a train stops at a 
railway station ; monster stamp mills, whose crushing machinery 
resembles the roar of a sea beating on a rocky shore, are grind- 
ing the quartz into powdered dust — for nearly thirty years the 
Reef has been exploited, and is still giving up its precious ore. 
Hundreds of thousands of people are engaged in this gold min- 
ing industry; the eyes of the money people of the world are 
constantly watching the gold yield of the Rand. 

In 1884 the output of the Transvaal gold mines was 
$55,000, and, save for a few years, during which the Boer war 
was being fought, the output Increased until it has reached the 




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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 97 

enormous sum of $150,000,000 a year. The monthly output 
IS from $12,000,000 to $15,000,000. 

The stamps that crush the ore into powdered dust weigh from 
1,800 to 2,000 pounds. Under the stamps are zinc-Hned in- 
ch'ning tables, 10 feet long and 4 feet wide, covered with quick- 
silver. Water washes the thin dust over the tables, when the 
gold adheres to the quicksilver. The dust from five stamps 
passes over one table. When about an eighth of an inch of 
gold sediment has accumulated, the stamps cease working, and 
the residue is scraped ofE the zinc. The scrapings look like thick 
black mud. The sediment then goes through a drying process. 
The dried chunks of gold " mud " is next put in' a kettle, or 
retort, and melted. Borax is tossed into the hot metal, which 
separates impurities from the gold, the precious metal remaining 
at the bottom of the kettle, the dross keeping to the top. More 
gold " mud " is put in the kettle, until there is enough to make 
a brick, or ingot. The gold metal is poured into a mold. Cool- 
ing in a few minutes, the red hot brick is dumped on the floor. 
The shape of an ingot is similar to a sponge cake, narrovi^er at 
the bottom than at the top. The weight of an ingot is 1,000 
ounces, its value about $20,000. 

In early years the dirt that passed over the quicksilver was 
considered of little value, and was washed away. The dirt is 
now treated by what is termed the cyanide process. Remain- 
ing in large cyanide tanks, any gold contained in the dirt is re- 
duced to a liquid. The liquid next goes to the extracting 
room, where it passes through inclining tanks, 12 feet long by 
6 feet wide, composed of five compartments. The floors of 
these tanks are covered with 8 inches of zinc shavings. The 
liquid slowly passes from one compartment to another. Any 
gold contained in the chemical solution adheres to the zinc 
shavings. The shavings are then taken from the tank and put 
in a retort. At the same time sulphuric acid is placed in the 
retort, which causes the zinc to dissolve. The sediment in this 
instance is also like black mud. This is next put through a 
drying process, put in another retort, when the gold can be 
seen, poured into a mold, and dumped on a floor in ingot form. 



98 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Some of the mine owners are very obliging to visitors who wish 
to look about the works. The mines range in depth from 
2,000 to 4,000 feet. 

Twenty thousand Europeans and 200,000 natives are em- 
ployed in the Rand mines. Paul Kruger, nearly 30 years ago, 
fixed the wages of the white miner at $5 a day. Contract 
miners, however, earn as much as from $200 to $300 a month ; 
but the average wage of the Rand miner is $160 a month. The 
natives' wage runs from 50 cents to a dollar a day and board. 
The hours worked are eight, three shifts comprising a day's 
force. 

Compound is the term used for an enclosure in which native 
employes are kept. As many as 3,000 to 4,000 kafirs work in 
some of the mines. From the mine they go to the compound, 
where a bunk is provided, a place to make a fire, and food is 
furnished. They are not allowed outside the enclosure at night, 
but on Sundays and holidays most of them are free. Tact has 
to be exercised when assigning kafirs to their quarters and to 
working mates, as a hostile feeling exists between certain tribes. 
If members of unfriendly clans be not kept apart, fights and 
murders often occur. 

Weasel-eyed, idle, easy living Europeans are found in con- 
siderable numbers in mining districts. Were the natives al- 
lowed their liberty in the evening, it would result in their com- 
plete demoralization, for the crafty gentry would succeed in 
getting bad whisky or vicious rum into the compounds, receiv- 
ing a big price for the poison, in addition to offering induce- 
ments to the " boys " to pilfer nuggets or heavy-bearing gold 
quartz. 

" Scarcity of help, scarcity of help," is the cry of mine owners 
in South Africa. Sharp competition prevails between mining 
companies for " boys," and it is a scarcity of this class of labor 
to which they allude. A European trader may have the con- 
fidence of natives in the district in which his store is located, 
and when help is wanted labor agents call on the merchant. 
When a trader induces natives to go to the mines, the firm to 
which they have been sent will pay him $15 for each " boy " 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 99 

as a bonus. If the company failed to pay the bonus, it would 
thereafter get very few " boys " from that trader's district. 
In thickly populated centers like Kaffraria a dealer may con- 
trol as many as 1,000 natives. In such instances companies pay 
him an income of from $100 to $125 a month, in addition to 
the $15 a head, in order to keep in his good graces. If a " boy " 
should engage to work for the shorter term — six months — 
and rehire at the end of the term, the trader from whose dis- 
trict the kafir originally came would be sent an additional sum 
of $15. Where labor agents deal with native chiefs for mine 
" boys," the chief expects a " bonsella " of $2,50 for every 
" boy " leaving his district to work in the mines. With 
bonuses, clothes, car fare and other incidentals, it costs the mine 
company from $25 to $30 to get a " boy " from the kraal to 
the works. Mine owners claim they pay out a quarter of a 
million dollars a year in bonuses for native help. It is also 
claimed that the mining industry could not be conducted at a 
profit with all white labor. 

Twenty-one thousand graves in Braamfontein Cemetery, a 
great many of these containing two corpses, strongly empha- 
sizes the terrible toll of human life paid to King Gold in the 
Transvaal mines. This is but one European graveyard, as 
there are several smaller burying places in the Johannesburg 
district. Besides those in which only Dutch and English are 
buried, there are Jewish, Malay and Mohammedan graveyards 
scattered about the city. Braamfontein Cemetery is filled, 
and a new one is filling fast. This appalling mortality has 
taken place during the past 30 years. 

Eighty-nine open graves — mound after mound in as regu- 
lar order as are boards in a floor — is a gruesome setting that 
forces one to cast a sad glance at the clouds of black smoke pour- 
ing out of the hundreds of smokestacks on the great Gold Reef, 
and at the gray-colored cyanide banks that half encircle the 
city of Johannesburg. These unbroken rows of freshly dug 
graves were in the European section of Brixton graveyard, and 
at the other end of the large burying ground — the native sec- 
tion — eighty freshly dug graves presented a grim foreground. 



lOo SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

" Bubonic plague ? " the reader may ask. No, phthisis. 

Eighty in a thousand of ordinary miners, and 140 in a thou- 
sand of workers using underground drilling machines, are af- 
fected with phthisis. As gold-bearing rock is being blasted all 
the time, miners inhale the fine dust during working hours. 
Respirators, a device covering the nose and mouth, having a 
sponge at the mouth, and two openings at the side covered with 
a fine wire screen to admit of air, are worn by some of the 
workers, but, as it proves cumbersome, a great many miners 
discard that life-extending invention. Phthisis here signifies 
the drying up of the lungs. The dust inhaled settles in the ceils 
of the lungs, with the appalling result mentioned. 

Seven years is the average lifetime of the Rand miner. On 
the headstones in Braamfontein Cemetery, carved in granite, 
most of the ages are found to be in the twenties and thirties. 
Few stones observed bore ages of 40 years and over. 

The average number of burials in Johannesburg is ten a day; 
Europeans average four and natives six. People not engaged 
in underground work, and not connected with the mines in any 
capacity, also become affected with phthisis. As on American 
prairies, the wind blows on the veld nearly all the time, and 
generally with considerable force; hence the air is full of dust 
from the powder-crushed cyanide banks. 

Priest, preacher and missionary may be seen at cemetery 
gates all the time, more particularly in the afternoons. 

"Will there be any more funerals today?" was asked of a 
native who had just filled in a grave. 

" Yes, baas. Two wagons coming now," he answered, 
pointing to the road. 

The natives are buried in a burlap sack, drawn tight and 
sewed, reducing the natural size of the body considerably. 
Two corpses rest on the bottom of a grave. Six inches of 
dirt cover these, when tv^^o more of the sacked bodies are 
lowered, making four in one grave. 

The city of Johannesburg receive $7 for every kafir buried 
in Brixton graveyard — $28 for a grave containing the bodies 
of four natives. The owners of the mines at which the natives 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS loi 

had worked must pay this burial charge. Deaths of natives 
are caused more by accidents in mines than from phthisis, 
as kafirs will not, as a rule, work more than six months in the 
year. 

At the end of Brixton graveyard, where Europeans are buried, 
could be seen, from a distance, undertakers in long coats and 
high Jiats; hearses, ornamented with white or black cockades, 
drawn by horses of the same color; clergymen, their heads 
bowed and reading from books, with groups of veiled people 
huddled in small areas — putting people underground and the 
circumstances attending these ceremonies are of very frequent 
occurrence in Johannesburg. 

The grave-diggers have no slack seasons; they are busy the 
year round, which accounted for so many open graves. As 
they were sure to be needed, it was better to be ahead of the 
demand than crowded with orders. 

" Don't Expectorate ! " is the cautionary sign confronting one 
at almost every turn in the Gold City. Where the " Don't 
Spit!" sign appears frequently one knows he has reached a 
place where lung trouble is prevalent. 

Paved streets in some of the South African cities has not 
been considered so much of a municipal duty as in other parts 
of the world. The soil being hard, the rain, coming in show- 
ers, flows off as it does on paved streets. As the sun shines 
365 days in the year on the high veld, the ground is dry in a 
short time after a shower has passed. 

Walking in the streets instead of on the walks is a local 
custom one quickly notices. In Johannesburg good, wide walks 
may be practically free of people though the street space is oc- 
cupied by pedestrians from curb to curb. 

" Joburg " is the local term used almost exclusively by South 
Africans when speaking of Johannesburg. When one hears 
another say " Johannesburg " it is a pretty sure sign that he is 
a stranger in " Darkest Africa." 

Living expenses are much higher in Johannesburg and other 
up-country cities than on the coast. House rent runs from 
$25 to $40 a month; meat was 18 cents to 30 cents a pound; 



I02 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

street car fare is very high; in a general sense, expenses are 20 
per cent, higher than in the coast cities. Boarding houses 
charge from $35 to $40 a month; hotel accommodation is ex- 
pensive, too, the cheapest costing $3 a day; rooms cost $1.25 
a day in all the hotels. Six cents is the least sum for any small 
article. A newspaper costs six cents (threepence), the boot- 
blacks charge 12 cents for a shine, barbers 18 cents for shaving; 
it seemed as if one was handing out six cents at every few 
squares to a street-car conductor, so short are the " stages " — 
in fact, few things can be had for less than six cents. 

Dutch, British and Jews comprise the majority of the popula- 
tion, Jews numbering one-third. Germans are also quite nu- 
merous. Americans, up to the time of the Boer War, held high 
positions with mining companies, but they have been thinned 
out since the country changed hands. Every country of the 
globe is represented in that cosmopolitan center. 

On pay days " Joburg " is a lively place. The saloons seem 
to get the biggest part of miners' wages. They spend their 
money like lords. In no place are bars better patronized. 
A glass of beer costs 12 cents, and stronger drinks 24 cents. 
The barmaid, a woman engaged tending bars in public drink- 
ing places in British territories, is not seen behind the bar of 
saloons in cities and towns of the Transvaal, men being en- 
gaged at that work. 

Years ago, when the game of baseball was played, which took 
place weekly and on holidays, crowds of people used to attend. 
Games are still played at weekly intervals, but only a few at- 
tend — sometimes not more than 100 persons. On the other 
hand, big crowds attend the English games — cricket and foot- 
ball. 

" Closed on account of dust." " Open — Closed on account 
of dust." Such signs will be found secured to doors of most 
business houses. The wind blows so generally, and nearly 
always so strongly, that all doors must be kept closed, whether 
of business or dwelling. With unpaved streets, and the half- 
circle of great cyanide banks about the city, Johannesburg, as 
appearing to some visitors, is not a choice place of residence. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 103 

The climate of the Rand possesses one virtue — there is no 
malarial fever. On the other hand, the lips swell, chafe and 
crack from the effects of both the wind and high altitude, this 
causing an irritating feeling. Laundries do a good business 
here. Collars are changed twice a day, as the soil, being red, 
and the almost constant high winds, with the dry nature of the 
country, keeps the dust flying about most of the time. One 
will not have lived in this city long before he will have eaten 
his allotted " peck of dirt." 

In Ludlow Street Jail, New York, prisoners are kept who 
are not considered criminals — that class of men who cannot 
pay their debts and who have not been adjudged insolvent. The 
city pays for their food. In Johannesburg, if a man is sent to 
jail for a debt, the creditor must pay the city 50 cents a day 
for the debtor's board. Precious few prisoners of this class 
are found in the Johannesburg jail. 

Newspapers of the Rand are fully up to the requirements of 
the city, four dailies being published, two morning and two 
evening. The morning papers issue Sunday editions, one of 
these including a colored magazine section. It has required 
constant fighting by the owners to maintain the Sunday edi- 
tions, as it is an innovation in British territory. Opponents 
had injunctions issued against these publications, and in other 
ways the publishers were put to much inconvenience. This edi- 
tion still appears on the street, however, but, by a court decree, 
dealers and newsboys are prohibited from soliciting sales. 
Printers earn good wages on the Rand, running from $30 to 
$55 weekly, with the working hours seven and eight. One 
finds here linotype machines, web presses, color presses, stereo- 
typing — all the modern machinery in use in the North. South 
Africa is the one country where printers can do as well, and 
sometimes better, than in the United States. 

Mechanics and miners are so well organized that they have 
a building of their own. They pull together on election day, 
and, as a result, a number of union labor men are sprinkled 
about the upper and lower Houses of Parliament. Eight hours 
is the maximum working day in South Africa among skilled 



I04 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

mechanics and miners. Wages run from $4.50 to $6 a day. 

In years gone by the Dutch suffered so much from the natives 
during their treks that they have a pretty good idea of how to 
manage them. No blacks crowd Europeans off the walks in 
Johannesburg, for the black man is not allowed on them; he 
must walk in the street. This policy saves trouble for both 
black and white, for it prevents arguments and fights. He is 
not allowed to ride on street cars. In railroad compartments 
colored and half-castes are prohibited from intermingling with 
Europeans. " Reserved " is posted on the doors of certain com- 
partments, in which one generally would find well-to-do col- 
ored passengers. 

The native is not allowed to live in towns and cities here. 
What are termed " locations " are built by the municipality, 
and in these places the natives are kept to themselves. The 
Boer plan is much better than the English, as, if the black man 
be given too much liberty, it generally proves injurious to him. 
Dutch authorities are very severe on men smuggling liquor to 
natives. Five hundred dollars is the fine, and in default of 
payment the smuggler must serve five years in jail. 

Indians leaving Natal for the Transvaal generally come to 
grief. On arrival they are promptly taken into custody, and 
when 50 to lOO have been collected are put into box cars of a 
train headed for Portuguese territory, and soon find themselves 
in the hold of a ship sailing from Lourenzo Marques for India. 
Indians have spoiled the Province of Natal, so the Dutch are 
taking care that that race do not get the money that belongs 
to the white man in the Transvaal. Though Indians are Brit- 
ish subjects, it makes no difference to the Dutch. Australia 
has barred them from that country, too. 

An art gallery, a museum, a large public library, a good zoo, 
sports grounds, parks where music is furnished, theaters, 
schools, churches, hospitals — all the public accessories that 
make a city are found in Johannesburg; also most modern city 
fire-fighting appliances, an electric street car system, electric 
and gas plants, fully in keeping with those in cities of the same 
size located in the countries of the North. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 105 

" Necessity is the mother of invention," so, as there is prac- 
tically no timber in South Africa, and brick buildings cost quite 
a sum of money to erect, homes had to be made of something 
else. Corrugated iron was the material that answered the pur- 
pose of brick, wood and stone. About all the timber required 
to erect one of these houses is for joists, scantlings, and 
doors. The sheets of corrugated iron are nailed to the joists 
and to the scantling at the roof. Sometimes there are plastered 
interiors, but a great many have no more protection than the 
sheet of iron. They are very hot in summer and very cold in 
winter. They pop and crack all the time from expansion and 
contraction. These houses are seldom more than one story 
high. " Wood and iron " buildings is what they are called. 

" Pipe Hospital " may be seen over the door of a tobacco 
store. It means that pipes are repaired there. 

A broad-brimmed hat, with a thick outside band, the latter 
often brown, with a white speck here and there, is the head- 
covering worn in the interior of South Africa. It is the only 
hat a Dutchman wears. Derby hats are in little demand in 
that part of the world. One occasionally sees a man wearing 
that style, but soft hats hold the day. 

Snow fell in Johannesburg a few years since, the first in 20 
years, and it proved an epoch in the history of the country. 
Important events that took place before or since are referred 
to as having occurred before or after the storm. Still, the 
weather gets cold enough to freeze water, but the sun warms 
up everything in the daytime. By reason of the high altitude 
— over 6,000 feet — the weather is never too hot in summer. 

To General Louis Botha the people of not only South Africa, 
but of the world, owe a great debt for saving the Rand mines. 
The time Botha rendered this service was when Lord Roberts, 
with his invincible forces, was outside the gates of Johannesburg 
prepared to enter the city. Most of the gold mines on the 
Rand had been wired and powerful explosives placed at sec- 
tions where the greatest damage would take place from an 
explosion. It was planned that as soon as Lord Roberts en- 
tered the city an electric button would be pressed to set ofE 



io6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the bombs, which would ruin the mines. Botha, of course, was 
well aware of what was to occur. A messenger was dispatched 
by him to Lord Roberts, bearing a request from the Boer com- 
mander to delay entering the city for 24 hours. Lord Roberts 
acceded to the request. During the interval General Botha 
pleaded with his Boer sympathizers not to blow up the mines. 
It required his utmost persuasive ability to dissuade the men 
from carrying out their purpose. He eventually got their prom- 
ise that the mines would not be molested. Had Botha been 
narrow-minded or vindictive, instead of a broad-minded man, 
in dealing with Lord Roberts, the world's output of gold since 
that time would probably have been from $100,000,000 to 
$120,000,000 less annually. 

Johannesburg is named after a Boer — Johannes — whose 
farm was located on a portion of the Gold Reef. It was about 
1885 when gold was discovered. 

The Great Trek by the Dutch from Cape Colony to the 
Transvaal took place in 1835—38. Being dissatisfied with 
English administration in Cape Colony, they, like the Mormons 
in America, kept going into uninhabited parts, stopping only 
when they believed they had gone beyond reach of everybody, 
where ^hey could live their own lives in their own way. There 
were thousands in the Great Trek. In 1852 a government 
was formed, and M. W. Pretorious became the first President 
of the South African Republic. In the early seventies there 
were about 25,000 Boers in the Transvaal. In 1876 the re- 
public practically collapsed, when England assumed responsibil- 
ity. In 1877 the British flag was raised in Pretoria, but the 
Dutch did not relish that innovation. During 1881 the Boers 
attacked the English garrisons, and in January, 1882, the Brit- 
ish suffered successive defeats at Majuba Hill, under command 
of General Colley, the latter being killed at Ingogo Heights. 
Eight hundred English officers and men were killed in the en- 
gagements, and on the Boer side 18 were killed and 33 wounded. 
A few lean years for the Dutch followed. Later, the gold 
fields of Barberton sprang into existence, then the Rand, and 
undreamed of wealth poured into the Transvaal, towns spring- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 107 

ing up as if by magic. It was during this early heyday period 
of the Rand that adventurous spirits such as Barnato, Ham- 
mond, Beit, Rhodes and others figured prominently in the life 
of Boerland — some there by reason of the opportunity to vent 
their inborn desire for adventure, others as agents of Great 
Britain, but all playing for high stakes round the green table 
of the great Gold Reef. With the exception of the Jameson 
Raid, in 1895, the Boers enjoyed peace and prosperity up to 
the opening of the Anglo-Boer war in 1899, when, three years 
later, the Transvaal and Orange Free State became British 
possessions. 

On May 31, 1910, the four provinces — Cape of Good Hope, 
Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal — became the Union 
of South Africa, with General Louis Botha, Premier, his Cabi- 
net, save one, being composed of Dutch members. Each prov- 
ince has its legislature, like our State legislature. A governor- 
general, appointed by the King of England, is the representative 
of the Imperial Government in South Africa and Rhodesia. 
With the exception of eight Senators, appointed by the Gov- 
ernor-General, the members of the National and Provincial 
Parliaments are elected by popular vote. One is safe, com- 
mercially speaking, in saying Johannesburg is more than half of 
Boerland. 

Law and order in the Gold City conform to the British 
standard. Noted crooks and adventurers are found about 
places where gold and diamonds are mined, yet few big bur- 
glaries take place. In stature, the policemen of Johannesburg 
are second to none. They are of splendid physique. Native 
policemen are used in that city also. 

The ravages of cattle diseases in South Africa is strongly 
suggested on seeing refrigerator cars being emptied of frozen 
meat. The poorer portions of beeves and sheep find their way 
to the compounds, the meat being eaten by the mine " boys." 
The frozen meat comes from Australia and New Zealand, ar- 
riving every week, and is shipped to what is called an agricul- 
tural country. 

What seems an inexcusable lack of enterprise, combined with 



io8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

mismanagement, is seen at every turn. Cattle hides are shipped 
to Europe, while boots and shoes worn in South Africa are 
made in England, Germany, Holland or the United States. 
Wool is shipped to centers North, and hence all the woolen 
goods come from Europe. One may ride through sections 
that should make splendid farming districts, but these are held 
by landowners in tracts of from 2,000 to 30,000 acres, and 
only a small area is under cultivation. Lack of water is the 
reason given. One sees no windmills, however. Rain water 
is often stored in a crude pond, which is generally muddy from 
sheep and cattle walking in it. This dirty drinking water 
alone is enough to kill the stock. 

Every animal of field and farm seems to have a mortal enemy. 
With the cattle, one of three diseases — East Coast or tick 
fever, rinderpest and red water — is apt to decimate them at 
any time; two or three diseases wipe out sheep; there is what 
is termed " horse sickness," horses also dying from eating grass 
when dew is on the ground, and meningitis menaces mules. 

At least four drawbacks figure in raising grain — drought, 
hailstones, locusts and poor farming — the worst being the 
presence of the black man, meaning poor farming; though his 
hut rent keeps the white man's coffee-pot boiling, at the same 
time it unhands him industrially. When one sees a piece of 
plowed land it is generally but half plowed, a grassy strip 
of sod often appearing between furrows at some part of the 
field. It would be a rare thing to see unplowed strips be- 
tween furrows in England, on the Continent, or in most of the 
farming States of America. 



CHAPTER V 

The Dutch being averse to having the capital near the sea 
coast, as soon as they gained full control of United South 
Africa, on May 31, 19 10, they decided on Pretoria as the cap- 
ital, although Capetown w^as v^^ell provided with good legisla- 
tive buildings. Money was then appropriated to erect govern- 
ment buildings in Pretoria, and a hill east of the city was selected 
as a site for the Parliament buildings. Following this, a large 
force of government employes were compelled to leave Cape- 
town for Pretoria, as government business was in future to be 
transacted in the Transvaal instead of the Cape of Good Hope. 
At present Pretoria, 45 miles from Johannesburg, is the capital 
of United South Africa. Before the war the Boers exercised 
control over only the Transvaal and Orange Free State, but 1 1 
years later they also exercised authority over the Provinces of 
the Cape of Good Hope and Natal. 

One who had imagined he would not find modern utilities 
and attractiveness of a general nature in a place located 'way 
up on the veld would be much taken aback upon entering Pre- 
toria. Encircled by a range of hills is this, the best-looking 
large town in the interior of South Africa. The city being so 
far away from the busy centers of the world, and over a thou- 
sand miles inland from Capetown, one would not expect to 
find fine, clean streets, a good electric street railway system, 
good parks, in some of which music is furnished ; shade trees, 
water fountains, and splendid buildings — residential, business, 
municipal and governmental. 

The Dutch Reformed Church, built in the center of the old 
market square, around which long ox teams used to slowly 
worm their way and seek shelter behind its stone walls from 
winds and shade from the sun; where auctioneers, chattering 

109 



no SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

like monkeys, sold produce of burghers, brought from points a 
hundred miles in some instances, to the highest bidder; where 
Boer met Boer and sympathized with each other during lean 
years, discussed native wars, their troubles with England, and 
the ravages of locusts and rinderpest; where the last President 
of the Transvaal intermingled with his people, walking among 
the piles of pumpkins, calabashes, tomatoes, guinea fowl, chick- 
ens, hares, and buck; where, on holy days. Psalms were sung 
by these rough-looking plainsmen — this historical assembling 
place of burghers, with its old-time and latter-day memories, 
has been removed, and the market-place converted into a public 
garden, surrounded at ends and one side by imposing govern- 
ment buildings. On visiting the square where the old church 
stood, the men of full beards and broad-brimmed soft hats now 
look instead on beds of flowers in bloom and fountains casting 
rainbow spray round a circular space. 

One feels more comfortable in Pretoria after having spent 
some time in the Gold City, for he has left the red dust be- 
hind, the unattractive cyanide banks, the clouds of black smoke 
and the sooty buildings. The air is free from smoke, from the 
dirt banks, and a healthier atmosphere prevails. Pretoria is 
Dutch; Johannesburg cosmopolitan. 

Some 40,000 people were living in this attractive place, and 
the population is increasing. The government departments 
were removed from Capetown, one after another, and with the 
reestablishment of each Pretoria's population naturally in- 
creased as the government employes followed. " Civil serv- 
ants " is the term used to denote government employes. An 
increase in salaries was granted to employes when brought from 
Capetown or Durban, as the salaries paid in the coast cities, on 
which a frugal person could save money, provided little more 
than food and clothing in the new capital. As in Johannesburg, 
house rent is high, and board cannot be had at less than from 
$35 to $40 a month. The cost of living here, as in Johannes- 
burg, is from 15 to 20 per cent, higher than the coast towns. 

Away from mining towns smokestacks are few and far be- 
tween. Pretoria makes a better showing in this respect, as 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS in 

there are flour mills, an ice plant, an electric power house, and 
small manufactures that give the place a business appearance. 

Walking a few blocks along West Kerk street, on the right 
hand side, may be seen a one-story stone and cement house, 
roofed with corrugated iron. This building is surrounded with 
an iron fence, built on a cement foundation. On each side 
of the walk leading to the house are two stone lions. In 
front is a veranda. In that modest house Paul Kruger 
lived. Walking in the same direction a few squares a park 
is reached. Entering by a gate, a short distance ahead is 
seen a large cement foundation with steps leading up, and 
resting on the foundation is a square granite base. The monu- 
ment finishes there. Postcards bear a picture of the completed 
monument to Paul Kruger, but it lacks the bronze figure of the 
Boer President. " The monument that was to have been 
erected to the memory of the late President Kruger " is the 
wording under the picture of the " completed " monument. 
The bronze figure of Paul Kruger reached Lourenzo Marques, 
Portuguese East Africa, at the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer 
War, in 1899. Several lean years followed the Boers' defeat, 
and the Transvaal was theirs no longer. What stands of " the 
monument that was to have been " is well looked after. Some 
day, however, the printing on a postcard of the completed monu- 
ment will read: " Paul Kruger's Monument." 

" Dick " Seddon, of New Zealand, was a great man; Brazil, 
Argentine, Chile and Australia have produced men they con- 
sider great, but their fame is only local. Many in other coun- 
tries tell one that the United States has produced but two great 
men — Washington and Lincoln. Looking at things from a 
world viewpoint, one cannot find a man born south of the 
equator who measures up to Paul Kruger's fame. So, in fair- 
ness to rugged genius, it would seem no overt act would be com- 
mitted if the completed monument did stand in that park in 
Pretoria — to the memory of the greatest man born south of the 
equator. 

" Have you been out to Wonderboom? " is a question visitors 
to Pretoria will be asked. Six or seven miles from the capital 



112 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

is seen from a distance what looks like a very large tree, located 
a mile from the railroad station. Big trees with dark green 
leaves are rare on the veld, which accounts for Wonderboom 
being such an attraction. In a radius of 150 feet seven groups 
of trees are growing, and from each grows half a dozen trees. 
The space taken up by some of these groups measures from 20 
to 30 feet, and the clumps grow from roots of what appeared 
to have been large trees at one time. When vegetation of all 
sorts is white from drought the Wonderboom is as green as if 
it had been watered at frequent intervals. The trees grow 20 
feet high, and cover an area of half an acre. No one seemed to 
know the name of the wood. " Vonderboom " seemed to be 
sufficient to cover all questions asked about its specie. 

English newspapers published in Pretoria could not be favor- 
ably compared to the Johannesburg productions. This may be 
accounted for by the existence of Dutch publications, which 
naturally have a larger patronage than English newspapers, the 
population being in the main Dutch. As a considerable amount 
of the government printing is now done in Pretoria, this in- 
dustry has improved. The pay is from $30 to $45 a week, 
eight hours' work. Mechanics of all kinds receive $5 a day. 

All government documents, bills, blanks, etc., are printed 
in two languages — Dutch and English. As the government 
owns the railway, telegraph, postoffice and telephone systems, 
any one can understand what a big item the government's 
printing bill is. This was agreed to by the British representa- 
tives who attended the convention at which the consolidation 
of the four provinces was ratified. The Dutch adhere strictly 
to this agreement affecting their language. 

The Dutch are not a vindictive race. No tales of brutality 
are heard of in connection with the Boer War. Men who 
fought on the British side tell of having been taken prisoner 
and of being sent back to their command. Sometimes the Boers 
would take the clothes off a captive, and then direct him to 
where his fellow soldiers were camped. Paul Kruger would 
have been justified in shooting the men who instigated and took 
part in the Jameson Raid, on the grounds of treason, but he 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 113 

spared their lives. They paid big sums of money in fines, 
though, for their unsuccessful, treasonable offense. 

The Dutch have their faults, like other races, but they seem 
the better able to guide the destiny of their land of plagues. 

The Boer War, in a sense, proved a blessing in disguise to 
the Dutch. Previous to that time proper attention had not 
been given to educating the young; precious few lawyers, doc- 
tors, educators and mining engineers bore Dutch names. Look 
through the directories of South Africa now and contrast the 
number of Dutch names that figure among those of the profes- 
sional class. The war woke up the Boers to a sense of assum- 
ing a greater responsibility in the advancement of their country. 
A great many Dutch young men are students in the leading 
universities of the world. 

Nothing feminine in sound is noticeable about the names of 
places in Boerland. But one often feels at a loss to account 
for the general use of the affix " fontein." Save for a narrow 
strip along the coast the country is dry. The Orange and the 
Vaal rivers seem to be the only two of consequence in the in- 
terior. The country is full of " spruits," " fonteins " and 
rivers which, when one reaches them, are dry as a bone. The 
only things that seem to " spruit " in them are cobble-stones and 
rattle-snakes. 

"Assegaiboschfontein," "Jakhalskraalfontein," " Wildebeeste- 
spruitbult " are a few names of towns that occur to one as 
being decidedly masculine. 

Boers, physically, are large men. Many of the older men 
wear full beards, and invariably wear a broad-brimmed hat with 
cloth band of several plies thick. They smoke calabash pipes, 
the weed being known as Boer tobacco, which costs 50 cents a 
pound. They generally carry a sjambok, a strip of rhinoceros 
hide about three feet long and an inch thick. Meeting one 
alone, the questions he asks in quick succession — " What's your 
name? " " Where do you come from? " " What's your busi- 
ness?" "Have you been in South Africa long?" "How 
long are you going to stay in the country?" — bring to mind 
this distinguishing trait of a noted Chinese who made a visit to 



114 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS ' 

America some years ago. Rum is the Boer's strong drink, but 
he is seldom seen under the influence of liquor. In a sense, he 
is of a roaming disposition, for some Boers are on the trek all 
the time. They seem to be better suited when they have got 
beyond the outposts of civilization. Were it not for the Boer's 
inclination to trek, hovi^ever, it is possible there would be no gold 
mines on the Rand or diamond fields in Kimberley. His bat- 
tles with the native tribes and his sufferings and hardships will 
never be lost sight, of as the factors through which the white 
man was enabled to live in that section of ** Darkest Africa." 



CHAPTER VI 

We take our departure from the Transvaal and make a start 
for Victoria Falls, in Rhodesia, also British territory. Travel- 
ing some 300 miles out of a direct line, through Fourteen 
Streams, to Vryburg, on to Mafeking, finds us nearly opposite 
the place started from, but headed in the right direction. A 
gap of 40 miles from Zeerust to the main line has since been 
closed, which makes the trip from Johannesburg to Bulawayo 
much shorter. Two trains a week care for all the business 
over that stretch of native territory. 

From Fourteen Streams, which is only a railway junction, 
we start northward over the treeless veld on our way to Rho- 
desia, 700 miles beyond. Vryburg is the next place reached 
where white people live, and most of the 3,000 inhabitants are 
engaged in business connected with farming. Nearly a hundred 
miles further Mafeking was reached, which has been made his- 
torical in virtue of the seven-months' siege of Britishers during 
the Boer War. It is located near the Transvaal border, and is 
a trading center for the western Transvaal. Railway car shops 
are located at Mafeking, and these and the trading industries 
give employment to its 3,000 inhabitants. 

An hour's ride further, and we have crossed the Cape Colony- 
Bechuanaland Protectorate border line. Northward from 
that point we pass through what seems an uninhabited country, 
so far as white people are concerned. A railway station is built 
here and there along the line, where a few Europeans may be 
seen ; but the country is wild and populated with natives. Were 
one to go to sleep for six or eight hours, upon waking up he 
would not know that he had moved a mile, so far as any change 
in the appearance of the landscape would indicate. At a few 
stations signs of industry were in evidence, bags of corn being 
piled along the track. 

"5 



ii6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Natives with karosses (skins of wild beasts) and native-made 
souvenirs surrounded the train when stops were made, spread- 
ing their wares on the ground and holding the objects of native 
handicraft to the gaze of the passengers. The natives' souvenirs 
were the images of giraffes, elephants, lions, tigers, storks and 
other animals cut out of wood and painted or dyed black, but 
many of the imitations were far from good. Splendid karosses 
are bought cheap along the line. One can have his choice of a 
lion, tiger, hyena, jackal, wildcat, monkey and baboon, and 
sometimes a giraffe. Many are as large as a bufFalo robe. 

" How much! " shouted a splendid specimen of a Bechuana 
woman, in the native language, as she held her naked pickaninny 
over her head — laughing heartily at the same time — at a 
place where the train had stopped and where natives and ka- 
rosses were numerous. Passengers were bartering and haggling 
with the natives over the price of karosses, and others were 
ambitious to sell their souvenirs. The black mother had im- 
bibed the " shopping " spirit, when she jocularly offered her 
babe for sale. "Half a crown!" (60 cents) shouted a pas- 
senger. With that offer the semi-barbarous mother quickly 
brought her pickaninny to her bosom, threw her arms about the 
little one and gave it such a hug that the baby's eyes bulged, she 
laughing so heartily the while as if to split her sides. 

Still traveling toward the heart of Africa, we reach Mochudi 
and the Kalahari Desert, the eastern fringe of which we trav- 
erse, a distance of 200 miles. The dust had become so thick 
in this stretch of the journey that the color of the passengers' 
clothes could not be detected. All the way along from Mafe- 
king I could not keep from my mind the Americanism, " It's 
a great country, where nobody lives and dogs bark at stran- 
gers." 

When the train stopped at Mahalapye we entered what is 
known as Khama's country. The course of the railroad is 
nearly on the line taken by David Livingstone, the explorer. 
When Livingstone and his band passed through that section 
of Africa, the grandfather of the reigning chief offered every 
hospitality to the explorer, and espoused the Christian religion. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 117 

Chief Khama, the grandson, Is the most important ruler of 
Bechuanaland, and has spent some time in Europe; he con- 
forms largely to European customs. Besides being a strict 
disciplinarian, he forbids the sale of liquor to his people. He 
receives a pension from the English Government. Serowe, 
Khama's capital, located 30 miles inland from Palapye Road 
station, is the largest town in Bechuanaland, having a popula- 
tion of 40,000. His subjects pay the smallest head tax of any 
of the tribes in South Africa. 

We were passing through a country about which the wilde- 
beeste, gemsbuck, eland, tiger, lion, and even the giraffe, still 
roam. Along the railway may be seen the secretary bird, guinea 
fowl and also handsome cranes. The secretary bird, so named 
from feathers growing at the back of the head, which look like 
quill pens, is what is known as " royal game." " Royal game " 
are beasts or fowl that must not be killed. The reason the 
secretary bird is protected is because it is a bitter foe to snakes. 
Snatching a snake in the middle with his bill, he at once begins 
to fly upward with the reptile, and when at a certain height 
will let go his prey. The snake, when he strikes the earth, is 
killed. 

White traders are located through these desolate tracts of 
country, sometimes a hundred miles from a railway. Little 
cash changes hands between natives and traders in out-of-the- 
way districts. For his skins and corn, or whatever the native 
may have to sell, he receives as pay bright-colored calico, Jew's- 
harps, concertinas, mouth organs, tinware and such things. 

Passing out of Khama's country we enter a territory known 
as the Tati Concessions. Traversing this tract, we crossed the 
northern boundary of Bechuanaland a few miles south of Plum- 
tree, when we were in Matabeleland, Rhodesia. In this sec- 
tion Lobengula, the Matabele king, held undisputed sway until 
Cecil Rhodes decided to annex this part of Africa to England's 
possessions. What Andries Pretorius did to Dingaan at Blood 
River — broke forever the power of the Zulus — Cecil Rhodes 
did with the powerful Lobengula in Matabeleland. 

We passed vnthin ten miles of the Matopo Hills, on the top 



ii8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

of which is buried Cecil John Rhodes, " the Colossus of South 
Africa," as he was termed. Whatever shortcomings Rhodes 
may have possessed, or the means he resorted to to attain 
his ambition, one of his virtues will always remain unques- 
tioned — bravery. He wished his remains to rest where 
his greatest feat of daring took place. It was during 
the rebellion of the Matabeles in 1896-97 that Rhodes, un- 
armed, with a friend accompanying him, walked up the Ma- 
topos through the files of the warring hordes of blacks to where 
their chiefs were stationed. His cool bravery and personal 
magnetism so impressed the chiefs that the rebellion ceased. 

" Here lie the remains of Cecil John Rhodes " is the brief in- 
scription carved on a granite slab that covers his grave, which 
was chiseled out of a solid rock on the highest of the Matopo 
Hills. " World's View " is the name Rhodes gave the place 
where he is buried. It is located 30 miles southeast of Bula- 
wayo. 

Bulawayo, meaning in English " the place of killing," is lo- 
cated in the heart of wildest Africa. We find here splendid 
streets, as wide as those of Salt Lake City, fringed with trees, 
with monuments erected at convenient places in the center; a 
good public library, containing 5,000 volumes; hospitals, parks, 
a botanical garden, zoological park, museum and art gallery, 
schools, churches, business buildings, daily newspapers — all of 
a high order. Bulawayo, nearly 1,400 miles from Capetown, 
has a poulation of 5,000 whites. It is the largest town of 
Matabeleland, the center of the gold mining industry, and has 
had railway connection with the Transvaal since 1897. Only 
four years earlier Lobengula's Kraal occupied the land that 
Bulawayo is built on. It required the sacrifice of many lives 
of hardy frontiersman to conquer the Matabeles, and to pave 
the way for the accession of Matabeleland, Mashonaland, 
Barotseland and the other sections that comprise Rhodesia. 

Industries in Bulawayo are few and small. In this respect, 
however, it is no different than most African towns. But lo- 
cated in the country away from the metropolis are numerous 
gold mines, and Bulawayo is headquarters for that industry. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 119 

The annual output from these mines run from $12,000,000 to 
$15,000,0000. 

We find in this place the typical frontiersmen. This feature 
of the country is reflected from its founder, as Rhodes was not 
a " toff." Every one goes in his shirtsleeves, and derby hats 
are not sold in Bulawayo. Soft, wide-brimmed hats, like those 
worn by the Boers, rule the day. One occasionally sees the 
butt of a revolver sticking out of a hip pocket or at the side of 
a belt, and hunting knives, incased in a sheath, are carried by 
almost every one, particularly on leaving town. A rifle strapped 
over the shoulder of men coming in from country districts is a 
common thing to see. Lions and tigers are so numerous in 
Rhodesia that weapons are carried to protect one's-self from any 
attack that might be made by the wild beasts. Still, under these 
" trouble-making " conditions, we find maintained that same 
respect for law and order that was so noticeable in other parts. 

A native word — " indaba " — much in use in Rhodesia, is 
often used in South Africa. When the chiefs met to talk over 
matters pertaining to their tribe — a native cabinet meeting — 
the meeting would be termed an " indaba." When Cecil 
Rhodes was engaged in dissuading the Matabele chiefs on the 
Matopo hill to discontinue the rebellion, the meeting of the 
"great white chief" with the native chiefs was termed an 
" indaba." 

In the grounds of Governrtient House stands what is known 
as the " Indaba Tree." The residence of the Governor-Gen- 
eral is built on the site of Lobengula's home, and it was under 
this tree that the rulers of the Matabele tribe assembled and 
dispensed native justice. 

Though the altitude of Matabeleland is about 5,000 feet, the 
weather is warmer in winter than it is in the Transvaal. 

Mention has been made of " salted " cattle in South Africa. 
The only people who can live in most parts of Rhodesia are 
" salted " men. If the inhabitants are so fortunate as to take 
on a few pounds of flesh at certain seasons, they lose that much, 
and generally more, from fever and ague at another season. 
Among the creditable buildings mentioned of Bulawayo was 



I20 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

included " good hospitals." Wherever hospitals are seen fre- 
quently, particularly in small settlements, one is using sound 
judgment if he makes his escape from that place early, as other- 
wise he will soon be personally familiar with the interior of these 
institutions. Wherever hospital facilities of a small com- 
munity are of the first order, one finds a graveyard out of all 
proportion to the number of people who live in the place. A 
hen with a brood of chicks was crossing a sidewalk in Bula- 
wayo, and each chick had its head drawn back between its wings. 
They were so slow getting across the walk that one had to step 
over them — stepping over chunks of fever, as it were. 

Rhodesia is a trap in which many poor men get caught. The 
riches of the country are much advertised in England, and 
those who come out and buy land soon find that their limited 
means are gone, and they are practically stranded. Both 
Rhodesia and South Africa are countries only for men with 
capital. 

The railway branches in two directions from Bulawayo — 
one easterly to Salisbury and out to Beira, Portuguese East 
Africa, the latter place being the port for Rhodesia ; and north- 
westerly to Victoria Falls, and from that point 300 miles north- 
ward toward the southern border of the Congo Free State. 
This branch is what is known as the Cape-to-Cairo route. 

We will start for the Falls. Fifty miles from Bulawayo 
we left the plains and passed through a forest of teak trees. 
Further on, growing palms indicated a warmer climate. 

" Thirteen years ago," said a traveling companion, who was 
a trader in these parts, " fourteen of us came up to Rhodesia. 
None was over 25 years of age. I'm the only one left out 
of the fourteen," he concluded. Asked what had taken off his 
companions, he answered : " One was killed by a lion, and 
the others died of fever." 

Ho! a smokestack is in view. We have reached Wankie, a 
coal mining district, and a rich one, too, for the mineral may 
be seen cropping out of the ground on each side of the track. 
A big hospital is observed, situated on a hill, which bears the 
usual significance in Rhodesia. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 121 

" Do you see that low, white cloud to the right ? " asked a 
passenger. " That's the spray from Victoria Falls. We have 
several miles yet to go before we reach the bridge," he 
added. 

We had traveled 1,200 miles from Johannesburg to this 
place, the journey taking three days. Recklessness, rather than 
good judgment, marked my course, for railroad fare from and 
back to Johannesburg tapped my purse for $100. Expenses on 
the train had increased also, as the cheapest meal from Mafe- 
king north was 60 cents, and the next cheapest 75 cents. But 
to one whose mind inclines to seeing the acme of nature's hand- 
icraft, promptings of this character outvi^igh financial con- 
siderations. Hotel accommodation at Victoria Falls was cor- 
respondingly high — $5 a day. One has no choice, as there 
is but a single hotel there, which is the property of the rail- 
road company. Aside from the hotel, a photographer's studio 
and a few houses comprise all there is in the way of buildings 
in Victoria Falls. 

Some of the Boers who took part in the Great Trek from 
Capetown north in 1835-38 did not stop long in what later 
became the Transvaal, but kept trekking, until they reached the 
Zambezi River. Most of these voortrekkers, however, were 
massacred by Matabeles. This occurred from ten to fifteen 
years earlier than Livingstone's visit. But it fell to David 
Livingstone to make known to the world the greatest of water- 
falls, on which he first set eyes in November, 1855. 

For a distance of seven miles above the falls the river is 
dotted with evergreen islands. Through this archipelago the 
waters of the Zambezi slowly run, giving no intimation of 
what is taking place several miles below. On these islands hip- 
popotami feed when inclination prompts, and crocodiles sun 
themselves and sleep when they choose land to water rest. 

Two islands — Livingstone and Cataract — are located at 
the edge of the precipice, which accounts for Victoria Falls 
being of three parts, namely: Rainbow, Main and Cataract 
Falls. The distance from one side of the river to the other 
here is over a mile — 5,808 feet, to be correct. The water, un- 



122 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

like that of Niagara, is of a dark, sallow color, but not muddy, 
and the falls are straight, instead of horseshoe shape. 

Stealthily the water moves over the wide ledge of rock, 
when its dull, lifeless color in the archipelago now assumes a 
much brighter shade. Save for two dark panels of unwatered 
space, made by two green islands just above, there unfolds be- 
fore the visitor's eye what seems a mile-wide mantle of amber- 
colored, gauze-like lace. Myriads of water crystals dart from 
the broad flow's filmy web and, jewel-like, embellish the ab- 
sorbing water spread for a depth of 380 feet. Also rainbows 
revel in still further enhancing this crowning masterpiece of art 
— these, in beautifying, sharing a radiant part — the bars of 
iris, of lustrous, engrossing hues, burnishing the peerless tri- 
falls' breast, as the veil-like flow descends in brilliant, multi- 
colored, wavy folds from its smooth, extended crest to the 
roaring, misty maw below. Clouds of spray, which may be 
seen 15 miles away, rise to a height of 2,000 feet from the 
boiling abyss, and the thunderous roar made by the impact of 
the waters is heard 12 miles beyond. 

A parallel wall rises in front of the precipice over which the 
water flows. A space varying from 80 to 240 feet separates the 
two. Into this narrow chasm 5,000,000 gallons of water a 
minute dash from a height of 380 feet, and one may imagine 
what pandemonium is taking place all the time in the great 
vault. For three-quarters of a mile the second, or parallel, 
wall, runs westward, unbroken. Then there is a break of 
something like 200 feet in width, that looks as if it had 
been gnarled out not only by water, but that even some other 
powerful agency had taken part in making this cleavage. The 
wall rises again to its full height and maintains a solid, un- 
broken front for a quarter of a mile further to Cataract Falls, 
at the west bank of the river. The water from Rainbow Falls, 
at the east bank, and from Main Falls, in the center of the 
river, runs westward to the 200-foot gap in the parallel wall, 
and the water from Cataract Falls runs eastward and, boiling 
and foaming, intermixes with the other waters and flows 




Victoria Falls. 
Zambezi Bridge and Gorge Below 



Falls. 



Note.— The parallel wall against which the flow dashes is equal 
in height to the precipice over which the water passes, the picture 
being drawn with a view of affording a clearer conception of Vic- 
toria's wide descent. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 123 

through the same opening. One may form an idea of the great 
depth of water at the narrow outlet when it is borne in mind 
that this vast quantity, falling over a ledge of rock a mile wide, 
finds its way out of the huge rock tank through that narrow 
channel. 

After the water storms through the 200-foot wide channel 
the torrent travels several hundred feet, when it flows under 
the Zambezi railway bridge, 450 feet above. On it turbu- 
lently runs, the water befoamed, through high, perpendicular 
walls of basaltic rock for over a mile. The rocky banks then 
decrease, but the course of the river remains rugged and tortu- 
ous for a distance of 40 miles. 

Vegetation growing about the falls, particularly palm trees, 
adds much attractiveness to the environment. The absence of 
improvements — save for the bridge, together with grass- 
thatched native huts showing dimly through the vegetation on 
the banks; the evergreen islands; the stillness of the water be- 
fore making its plunge, contrasted with the wild-appearing, 
rugged, high, rocky walls below and the foaming and billowy 
torrent as it dashes madly through the narrow gorge — make 
Victoria, like other great works of nature, distinctive in forma- 
tion from other notable waterfalls. 

Summing up the comparative grandeur and greatness of 
Niagara and Victoria Falls, most persons who have seen both 
would decide, I believe, that Niagara Falls is the more beauti- 
ful and Victoria the greater. In this connection one has only 
to compare the grand crescent of sky-blue water of Niagara 
with the dull color of Victoria Falls, the water of Niagara, after 
plunging over an unbroken stretch of rock ledge into a roomy, 
circular-shaped basin, assuming its true blue color, with the 
gradual narrowing of the banks to the Gorge; contrast Ni- 
agara's broad, sweeping, unconfined character with the water of 
the Zambezi, hemmed in from view in tank-like walls after 
passing over the falls, and then prevented from making a good 
showing, as it were, by a continuation of similar walls for a 
distance of 40 miles. 



1^4 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The bridge across the Zambezi River is a pretty one, with 
a single span of 6io feet, and was constructed by an American 
firm. Cecil Rhodes instructed the builders to erect it where 
it now stands, " so that it would always be wet by spray from 
the falls." 

Nature's fickleness, a trait disclosed in choosing remote re- 
gions for some of her noted wonders, entailing, as it does, long 
journeys, fatigue and much expense to reach, is conspicuous by 
her placing Victoria in a country hemmed in on the west by 
Angola and German West Africa, north by the Belgian Congo, 
northeast by German East Africa, east by Portuguese East 
Africa, and south by Bechuanaland and the Transvaal. The 
shortest time in which a journey could be made from an Ameri- 
can port to these falls is about five weeks. Landing at Cape- 
town, four days' travel, on a slow train, mostly over a dry and 
dusty country, must be undergone to reach that point, when 
Victoria Falls is viewed in all its sublimity, located in a wild, 
interesting, but fever-ridden, section of Rhodesia, where only a 
handful of languid white persons live, and on a continent where 
the superior race number less than a million and a half. 

It is dangerous to cross the Zambezi River in a rowboat, the 
river being infested with crocodiles, which grow from 12 to 16 
feet long. The hippopotamus, though, starts the trouble. He 
hides just under the water, and nothing can be seen of the beast 
until a boat is on top of him. Then he rises, overturning the 
boat. "Hippo" will not harm a person in the water; but 
crocodiles are generally found close to a hippopotamus, and the 
former are always hungry. As soon as the unfortunate occu- 
pants of a boat have been dumped overboard there is a swirl 
of water close by, another farther off, yet more disturbed water, 
when long, dull colored shapes come lashing swiftly up. The 
poor swimmers disappear, the muddy water reddens for a short 
time, and then becomes sallow colored again. To the Barotse 
native the crocodile is a sacred animal, and, as he will not harm 
the voracious beasts, deaths of both natives and Europeans by 
crocodiles occur frequently in this part of Rhodesia. 

The Zambezi River rises in West Portuguese Africa and 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 125 

empties into the Indian Ocean at Chinde, Portuguese East Af- 
rica, about a thousand miles from its source. 

Beer and whiskey are drunk a great deal in that part of 
Rhodesia, and almost every one takes quinine to allay fever. 
No one would dare take a drink of water were it not boiled. 

" Knocking around " is a term much in use in Rhodesia. 
"Have you seen John Smith knocking around?" "Is there 
a boat knocking around? " " Are there lions knocking around 
here ? " are common instances in which the term is used. 

Tigers are so numerous about Victoria Falls that they rob 
hen roosts, and even climb through pantry windows and take 
away what eatables are handy. 

Vegetation in these parts is interesting to visitors, as all 
the bushes and trees are strange to those coming from foreign 
places. Nearly every tree or shrub produces its seed in the form 
of a pod, like beans. Thorn prongs, as sharp as needles and 
two and three inches in length, grow on some trees. The 
cream-of-tartar tree, however, will interest a visitor more. 
This one grows very large, and the bark is the color of a 
hippopotamus' skin. In fact, the bark of all trees has a dark 
color. The pod of the cream-of-tartar is the shape of a cucum- 
ber and 10 to 12 inches long. The shell is very hard, but, 
when broken open, if ripe, the substance in the pod is white, 
and separates from the fibers in the form of sugar cubes. The 
natives eat it. One cream-of-tartar tree seen close to the falls 
measured 22 feet in diameter. 

A very good tribe of natives is found in that part of Rhodesia 
— the Barotse. At a kraal visited, several of the sightseers 
asked a native for a drink of native beer. The liquid was 
brought in a large calabash, and the drinking cup was the 
bowled-out end of a small calabash. Before the native served 
the beer he poured out some of the brew in the hollow of his 
hand and drank it. Then he tilted the vegetable demijohn, 
when the beer was poured into the cup for the Europeans. The 
reason of the Barotse sampling the beer first was to allay any 
suspicion his white visitors might entertain concerning its gea- 
uineness. 



126 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Natives* musical instruments are a one-string fiddle, a skin 
drum, and a little wooden frame containing three and four 
pieces of steel a quarter of an inch in width and four inches in 
length. This last is called a " piano." The small strips of 
steel are fastened at one end of the frame. By touching these 
with the fingers a faint musical sound is produced. For hours 
at a time a husky native keeps playing the " piano," happy in the 
thought that he is an accomplished pianist. Lewanika is the 
head chief of the Barotse tribe. 

Native wives are much cheaper in Barotseland than in Zulu- 
land, prices ranging from two sheep to ten cows. Should the 
wife leave her husband — elope, for instance — the girl's father 
must return the sheep or cows to the deserted husband. 

North of the Zambezi River the territory is known as North- 
western Rhodesia, and also Barotseland. Seven miles from 
Victoria Falls is located Livingstone, the capital of North- 
western Rhodesia. Here, right in the heart of one of the 
fever regions of Africa, one finds small but substantial provin- 
cial buildings, a good, roomy hotel, an up-to-date printing of- 
fice, and a small but interesting botanical garden. 

Malarial, or African, fever is very bad at Livingstone. 
Horses and cattle cannot live in this part of Rhodesia unless 
they are well " salted." Everything must be " salted," both 
man and beast. Transport riders, when taking a load of pro- 
visions to traders or to mining camps located far from the 
railway, are provided with extra oxen. Lions are so numerous 
it frequently occurs that an ox is found in the morning dead 
and partly eaten, the work of Leo during the night while the 
cattle were resting or grazing. It is said the vital part of the 
cattle where the lion makes his attack is the nose. In a second 
the beast is thrown, and it is but a matter of a few minutes when 
the lion will have his prey dead and badly torn. 

The tsetse fly is in his own bailiwick in these parts. This 
fly is one of the worst plagues of Central Africa. In size, this 
insect is as large as a bumblebee, and when he bites he draws 
blood, whether it be man or beast. It is said the deadly virus 
he injects is extracted from the bodies of big wild game. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 127 

Nagana is the name of the disease caused by the tsetse-fly bite. 
The scientific name for this fly is rather prosy — Glossina 
morsitans; also for a first cousin, whose bite likewise caused 
nagana disease, Glossina allidipes. Mail must be carried to 
the interior by immune native runners, as a bite from these flies 
means a very short life for a horse. Deaths from sleeping 
sickness have occurred in this section of Africa. 

Machillas are the means of transportation by which people 
are carried from place to place. The machilla is a long pole, 
with the ends of a piece of canvas made fast, over which a cover 
is stretched. The ends of the pole rest on the shoulders of 
four natives — eight in all — who run along at a good gait, 
with their passengers in the hammock-like device, until they 
reach a relay station — at intervals of about five miles — when 
a fresh " team " of natives take up the machilla and are off 
again at a good trot. 

The European population of this large tract of land is said to 
be only 30,000, blacks numbering 150 to one white person — 
and it is doubtful if that number will ever be greater, for the 
large graveyards with numerous fresh " mounds of dirt are 
becoming better known through the receipt of mail by friends 
living in countries of the North sent by cadaverous, shaking 
relatives dying in the fever glades of Rhodesia. 

From Livingstone, 1,650 miles north of Capetown, the pro- 
jected Cape-to-Cairo line extends 300 miles further, to Broken 
Hill, where it stops. The route from here is to the southern 
borderline of the Belgian Congo, thence through that country, 
crossing the equator, until Uganda is reached. From Uganda 
it will traverse the Soudan, running thence into southern Egj'pt. 
At a point in this country the line will connect with a tongue 
extending southward from Cairo, the northern terminus. 
When the center has been linked, the length of the line from 
Capetown, the southern terminus, to Cairo, will be about 5,000 
miles. 

Returning to Johannesburg, we passed through Bulawayo, 
then over the Matabeleland borderline into Bechuanaland, 



128 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

through the Kalahari Desert, next into Cape Colony, and thus 
into Boerland. 

Perhaps the prettiest and most shapely mountains in the 
world are those in South Africa. Though not so high as those 
in other countries, their shapeliness attracts, most of them 
bearded with brush at bases and sides, the tops being round 
and grassy. With the deep blue sky above — the sun nearly 
always shining on the high veld, except during a shower of 
rain — and the same colored horizon all round, together with 
the rays from a bright sun lavishly diffusing the summits, there 
is a tone and finish to Boerland mountains which, in other 
countries, rocks, snow and timber do not bestow. The highest 
mountain is Mount Aux Sources, rising io,0(X) feet, located in 
the Drakensburg range. 



CHAPTER VII 

From the Gold City we traveled southward to the Diamond 
City. 

" You haven't been in town long? " a Kimberley policeman 
addressing me, remarked, as he stepped in front. As a matter 
of fact, I had only got about a hundred yards from the rail- 
way station. I surmised that I had been taken for an " I. D. 
B." (illicit diamond buyer), having been told a bird can scarcely 
alight in Kimberley without coming under police surveillance. 
" We're from the same country, I believe," the officer continued, 
when I felt easier. " My native town is St. Louis," he added. 
" Come to my home this afternoon and have dinner with us, 
after which we'll call on an American living in a house a few 
doors below," he went on kindly. This courtesy allayed all 
suspicion that I would be asked to establish my identity before 
staying longer in the diamond fields. The invitation was ac- 
cepted, his hospitality being generous. The second American 
had been on the diamond fields for more than 30 years, but local 
interest was a secondary consideration to meeting some one just 
come from the United States. He had been in British territory 
so long that he had acquired the British accent, but that was the 
only thing foreign about him, as one would not know where to 
find a more patriotic son of America. On a second visit to 
the " Diamond City " every kindness was shown me by these 
two " exiles." 

Kimberley, with a population of about 35,000, one-third of 
this number being white, is the capital of Griqualand West, a 
section of Cape Colony. Before diamonds were discovered, the 
territory embraced in the Kimberley district was understood to 
be a part of the Orange Free State. When the diamond fields 
promised rich returns, Cape Colony officials claimed this tract 

129 



130 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

as being part of that province. The matter was finally ad- 
justed by the Free State surrendering its claim to the Cape au- 
thorities upon payment by the latter to the Boer republic of 
several million dollars. The Diamond City has evidently stood 
still while other places in the sub-continent have kept pace with 
the progress of the times. Its newspapers are inferior; only 
one building reaches three stories; there is very little street 
paving, practically no sidewalks, and public buildings are quite 
ordinary; the shacks standing not far from the business center, 
built by colored people out of American oil cans, are a disgrace; 
church bells even are suspended from a crosspiece resting on the 
top of two posts, lo feet high, in the churchyard ; the parks do 
not amount to much, most of the shade trees in these being fine- 
bearded pine, through which the sun beats down on one. If 
there was anything of a creditable character here, save for a 
modern street car system, we did not observe it. To Alex- 
andriafontein, a fenced-in private pleasure resort, an electric 
line runs, but it costs 25 cents to reach this park. 

Were one in need of an object lesson to understand thor- 
oughly what a trust means to a municipality, he would learn 
that lesson in Kimberley. A number of diamond mines are in 
operation in the Kimberley district, but there is but one diamond 
mining company — the De Beers. Diamond mining is the only 
industry in Kimberley. Mine officials are very kind to visitors 
who wish to look about the works. 

"Hoi that's Kimberley rain," shouted a friend. Looking 
from a window, the width of the street appeared a solid mass 
of dust, if the term may be allowed, extending far above the 
roofs of the houses. " That's the sort of ' rain ' we get in 
Kimberley," he explained. No rain had fallen for six months. 

The depth of the diamond mines runs from 1,000 to 2,600 
feet. The color of the soil in which the diamonds are found is 
blue — blue dirt, it is called — which is removed by explosives. 
Dirt, pebbles and stones are moved in iron trucks with iron 
covers, and locked. On coming to the surface it is started on 
gravity railways which extend from two to four miles from the 
mine. The truck of dirt, weighing about a ton and contain- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 131 

ing an average of one-third of a karat of diamond, is here 
dumped on the ground. The " dirt field " contains i,4CX) acres 
of space. Three high barbed wire fences form the inclosure, 
and police — mounted, on bicycles, and on foot — see that no 
stranger gets inside the tripple barbed-wire fence. 

The blue dirt remains in the field from three to six months 
until, by exposure to the air, it crumbles. A harrow, with 
teeth 10 inches long, is drawn over the section of field ready for 
use, when any remaining lumps are broken into fine dirt. The 
diamond soil is next loaded into trucks and started back to the 
head of the mine. The dirt is here dumped into a revolving 
screen, which contains holes for pebbles of certain sizes to drop 
through. These drop into a revolving round tank, or vat, 14 
feet in diameter and about a foot deep, into which water runs. 
Inside the vat are two large stationary rakes, around which the 
tank revolves. This is called the washery. The dirt runs out 
as muddy water, and the rakes serve to move the pebbles to a 
point in the circular vat where there is an opening. Connect- 
ing with this opening is a pipe, down which the stones pass into 
a steel truck below. When the truck is filled with pebbles, the 
door is closed and locked. 

The truck is now started on a gravity railway to what is 
called the pulsator, where the nuggets and diamond-bearing 
stones are separated from those of no value. Here the con- 
tents of the truck also are emptied into a revolving screen with 
graduated holes to allow the pebbles to drop out. The stones 
of the various sizes now drop into compartments 4 feet long and 
18 inches wide — called jigs — which move back and forth. 
Water runs over the pebbles in the jigs, the light-weight ones 
washing out and the heavier remaining at the bottom. The 
pebbles that remain in the jigs are taken out later and put into 
still another revolving screen. Under the grade sizes of this 
screen are inclined tables, over which water runs, these having 
a thickly greased floor, or bottom, on to which the stones drop. 
The nuggets and diamond-bearing stones stick in the grease, 
but the non-diamondiferous pebbles pass over. To emphasize 
how strongly grease acts as a magnet to the precious stones, of 



132 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the millions and millions of pebbles that are washed over the 
greased bottoms, which are carefully inspected by experts, rarely 
is a diamond detected among the culls. 

The little lumps on the greased tables — the diamonds cov- 
ered with grease — might resemble a hand with big warts. 
The table is cleaned, when the scrapings are treated by a liquid, 
which renders the diamonds free of grease. They then pass to 
a sorting room. The sorters are native prisoners, but a white 
man is over them. Then one negro, very expert in detecting 
diamonds, examines the stones sorted by the prisoners. From 
him they pass to a room where two white men again examine 
them. They are then put into steel cups little larger than a 
teacup. The cup has a lid to it and a lock. The lid is closed, 
locked, and the cup labeled. The locked cups next go to the 
Kimberley office. Every Monday the output of the diamond 
mines is taken to a train headed for Capetown. That train 
makes connection with a steamship leaving for Europe on 
Wednesdays. From England most of the diamonds are sent to 
Amsterdam, Holland, to be refined. 

The reducing character of the diamond mining industry is 
apt to astonish one. Over 200,000 trucks of dirt are treated 
daily, and the product from this great quantity of soil is less 
than a cubic foot. Twenty-three thousand men are engaged 
in digging, and the diamonds mined by that large force are 
examined by but four eyes and handled by only four hands in the 
examining room at the pulsator. The yearly output of the 
Kimberley diamond mines is from $35,000,000 to $40,000,000. 

Credit for bringing to light the first stone found in the 
Kimberley district, in 1870, is given to an Irishman named 
O'Reilly. A Dutch boy, whose father's name was Van Nie- 
kerk, was playing jackstones. O'Reilly's eye being attracted 
by a bright stone among those with which the boy was playing, 
he told the boy's father he thought that particular one was a 
diamond. O'Reilly's judgment proved to be good, as, when 
weighed, it was found to be of 2 2 5^ karat. The stone was 
sold for $2,500, O'Reilly and Van Niekerk dividing the 
money. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 133 

On the wagon containing the weekly output of diamonds of 
the Kimberley mines, and which meets the train that goes to 
Capetown every Monday afternoon, is seated a white man and 
a native driver. No attempt has yet been made to rob the 
wagon while going from the head office of the diamond com- 
pany to the railway station. This alone may serve to em- 
phasize the grip which law and order has on that community. 

A week before a native quits the diamond mines he is kept 
under strict surveillance. The natives live in compounds, as 
the kafirs do in the Rand mine compounds, but, unlike the 
" boys " working in the gold mines, mine " boys " of Kimberley 
are not allowed outside of the compound except when going 
to and coming from work, and then only under guard. They 
are hired for from three months to a year, and are paid from 
$15 to $30 a month and board. There are seven mines in the 
Kimberley district, which give employment to 2O,0OO natives 
and 3,000 Europeans. Three eight-hour shifts are worked. 

Those engaged in the diamond diggings along the banks of 
the River Vaal carry with them during life a characteristic by 
which they may be picked out from among men following dif- 
ferent pursuits. A fortune — which they all hope for — may 
escape them if their eyes are raised from the ground for even so 
brief a time as that required for the wink of an eyelash, as they 
might thus have missed the fleeting flash of a precious stone just 
peeping through the soil. For this reason, when engaged in 
the diamond diggings their eyes are constantly looking down- 
ward. After they leave the diggings — when they have spent 
their savings and become practically starved out — they walk 
about with bent head, looking at the sidewalk or ground as they 
did when hand-screening soil and digging alluvial dirt. Some 
have made fortunes in the diggings, but these are few and far 
between. 

Bloemfontein, next visited, is known as the Convention City. 
Because of its location, being the most important city in the 
center of South Africa and well provided with hotels and rail- 
way connections, together with its good public buildings, it 
has become the favored place for national gatherings. 



134 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

After the Boer War the name of this province was changed 
to Orange River Colony, against the burghers' wishes. In 
May, 1 910, when the Dutch again assumed power, its former 
name, and its present one — Orange Free State — again came 
into use. 

Located between hills on two sides, having good streets, shady 
walks, electric light, good buildings, and a broad, treeless veld 
to the east, with poverty seemingly absent, an inviting air per- 
vades Bloemfontein. The homes of that city, a great many of 
them built of red brick, with their vari-colored painted roofs 
and tidy yards filled with flowers, all nestling under and some 
built on the side of the kopjes, or hills, put one in mind of 
that other Dutch capital — Pretoria. Unlike Kimberley, no 
tin shanties were to be seen here, neither were the streets swarm- 
ing with half-castes and Hindus. 

As in other places in South Africa where there are no mines, 
smokestacks are few here. The Orange Free State is said to 
be a good farming section, and from that source, and the general 
commercial and official business linked with a metropolis and 
State capital, spring the main assets of the city. Newspapers, 
a good gauge by which to measure a center, are in advance of 
the Free State capital. 

The marketplace in Bloemfontein is typical of the Dutch, 
being located in the center of the town, business houses and 
hotels standing on the four sides. The long ox teams, led by 
natives with rawhide strips tied to the horns of the leading 
yoke ; the big transport, with its tent at the rear, a Boer sitting 
in the doorway or opening, smoking his calabash pipe filled with 
Boer tobacco, and his f rau, behind him, knitting ; the auctioneers 
jabbering above a pile of farm produce; the group of farmers, 
with their wide-brimmed hats and full beards, arguing in the 
Dutch language, are all in evidence. It was interesting to walk 
about observing the product of the soil and the people who cul- 
tivate it, and the means in use to bring it where it might be profit- 
ably sold. With the tent at the rear end of the transport, and 
" scoflF," coffee and cooking utensils, hotel expenses are elimi- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 135 

nated, and one may stay as long as one wishes. A great num- 
ber of Boers pay a couple of days' visit to old acquaintances 
when they come to this marketplace. 

Bi-lingualism, a nightmare to some of the British in South 
Africa, has its fountainhead in Bloemfontein. Bi-lingualism 
here means the teaching of the Dutch and English languages in 
the public schools. When the conditions of consolidation were 
drafted, dual languages — Dutch and English — to be taught 
in schools was one of the provisions, and this clause was agreed 
to by the British representatives at the convention at which 
the act of federation was ratified. The Minister of Education 
is from the Orange Free State, and is Dutch through and 
through. He insists on the dual language clause being carried 
out to the letter. The Dutch, as spoken in South Africa — it 
is called the Taal — is not so pure as the Holland Dutch. 
While one might not agree with the Minister of Education in 
forcing English scholars to study Dutch, when either French, 
Spanish or German would be better, his fighting for the per- 
petuation of his mother tongue must command admiration. 
Cabinet Ministers of South Africa, by the way, are not cheap 
salaried men. The Premier receives $70,000 a year, the other 
members $48,000 a year. 

Hotel expenses are from $3 to $5 a day. House rent is 
rather high, too; but the wages paid mechanics are fair, run- 
ning from $4 to $5 a day. 

In the evening one sees very few black people about the 
streets. Bloemfontein has a municipal " location " — a place 
where natives must live — about three miles from town. Ex- 
cept as a servant, the Indian coolie, although a British subject, 
is not allowed to cross the Free State border. No adverse feel- 
ing is entertained for the native, but the line is drawn on 
Asiatics. 

The veld is so bare of any vegetation, save grass, in that part 
of South Africa that there is not a native tree growing in a 
radius of a hundred miles from Bloemfontein. 

While traveling through farming districts in South Africa 



136 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

one misses the grain elevators seen at every station, and even 
sidings, when passing through agricultural sections in the United 
States and Canada. 

Southward we headed for Capetown, passing through Mod- 
der River and then Naauwpoort. Later we entered a stretch 
of country known as the Karoo. Rain does not fall in 
this district for a period of nine or ten months. For hun- 
dreds of miles there is not a blade of grass to be seen, yet 
goats, sheep, and ostriches abound, and grain is a product of 
that strange stretch of land. Cradock, the metropolis of the 
Karoo, is an oasis, because good shade trees are numerous. A 
small bush grows, called karoo, on which goats and sheep feed, 
and do well, if they do not die from thirst. The climate of the 
Karoo is very favorable to persons suffering from lung trouble. 
One of the best churches of Dutch design in South Africa is 
found in Cradock. 

We had now reached the Cape of Good Hope Province. 
Southeast of Cradock is Kaffraria, at one time a separate 
colony. Natives are numerous through that section. One of 
the tribes of Kaffraria is the Fingo, a good native for the mines. 
Hence, mine labor agents are to be found at every turn seeking 
help. It is in that district where the traders do so well in 
furnishing " boys " to the mines. Natives owning land, and 
wishing to sell it, are not allowed to sell to a white person, 
but may sell the land to a native. 

Unlike Zulus, the natives throughout Kaffraria live in col- 
onies. The huts are principally made of mud and roofed with 
straw. Different tribes are known to strangers by the blankets 
they wear. One tribe wears a brown blanket and goes bare- 
headed, while another wears a dark-colored cotton blanket, with 
black cloth over their heads. This mode of dress pertains to 
the native women. 

Order is maintained in these settlements by a native appointed 
by the government. When violations of law occur, the police 
authorities go direct to this native, as head of the settlement, 
who is held strictly accountable for any infraction. Cornmeal, 
or mealy meal, the staff of life to natives of South Africa, costs 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 137 

$7 a bag, and 200 pounds provide " scoff " for four natives for 
a month. 

Africa, as generally knovv^n, is the home of the ostrich. In 
South Africa alone they exceed 700,000, and this southwest 
corner comprises merely one-twenty-fourth of the area of the 
" Dark Continent." The territory lying between Kaffraria 
and Capetown, however, is the section in which the ostrich in- 
dustry has reached its highest state of development. The 
feathers are picked at periods of 18 months, the average yield 
being three pounds, although some ostriches grow six pounds 
of feathers in a season. These are mostly disposed of by auction 
at Oudtshoorn, the clearing house for this product of the sub- 
continent. Buyers representing leading feather merchants of 
the world attend these sales. The price of feathers varies a 
great deal, a common quality bringing only $25, while a good 
grade sells for $100 a pound. The annual exports from this 
industry amount to $15,000,000. A pair of ostriches sell for 
$500 to $800. Fifteen eggs is the average composing a sitting, 
and six weeks' hatching is required to bring forth the young. 
Hatching devolves mainly on the male bird, he sitting at least 
four weeks out of the six. The two weeks the female devotes 
to sitting are objectionable ones to her, being whipped to her 
task by the male bird from time to time to take even this unequal 
part in bringing their brood into existence. The law prohibits 
both shipping from, or taking out of South Africa, eggs of 
this, the premier bird. 

"Will you have some shiverin' jimmy?" asked a compart- 
ment companion as he began unwinding a cloth from a bundle. 
" I'm from Grahamstown," he continued, " where there is 
nothing but * pubs ' (saloons) and churches. Have some 
shiverin' jimmy," he concluded. By that time the cloth was 
off the " parcel." What he called " shiverin' jimmy " proved 
to be animated headcheese. 

The train crept slowly down a steep grade, as we had left the 
high veld behind. Mount Matroosburg, a thin sheet of snow 
on its summit, was on our right, and on reaching Hex River 
iValley we were in the sea zone, and not far from Capetown. 



138 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The interest associated with Table Bay, by reason of its early 
explorers, massacre of early settlers, and the fighting with the 
Hottentots of those who finally got a footing, comes to mind 
when in this section. It was about 1653 that Johan van Rie- 
beek, a Hollander, started a settlement. Several attempts to 
establish a white colony had been made earlier, but attacks by 
the natives drove those daring men back to their ships. Van 
Riebeek, however, succeeded. Cape Colony remained Dutch 
for some years, afterward coming under British control, re- 
verted to the Hollanders again, then to England once more, and 
has remained an English possession ever since. 

To find a city to compare with Capetown, from a point of 
unusual attractiveness, would be difficult. In front, Table 
Bay, a charming sheet of blue water, spreads out to a good width, 
and beyond rises the Drakenstein and Hottentots Holland 
ranges of mountains, their castle-like peaks lending solemn charm 
when viewed from a distance ; above the city rises Table Moun- 
tain, the feature of Capetown, with its two flanking towers 
— Devil's Peak (3,300 feet) and Lion's Head (2,100 feet) — 
forming the semi-circular valley in which the city rests so pic- 
turesquely. The commanding, frowning and scarred front of 
this unique mountain proves an object of admiration. Table 
Mountain is three miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide. 
The top is as level as a table, and, like other mountains in 
South Africa, is barren of timber. Rising to a height of nearly 
4,000 feet, a view from its broad, flat top is of unusual interest. 
Antonio de Saldanha, in 1503, is said to have been the first 
white man to scale its sides. 

The Town Hall, Parliament buildings, a splendid public 
garden, good museum, art gallery, colleges and other commend- 
able public institutions are fully in keeping with the natural at- 
tractiveness of the Cape Peninsular. Creditable business build- 
ings and good docks are also prominent. 

Durban's wide-awake business men, together with Capetown's 
high charges to shippers, have taken from Table Bay the mari- 
time prestige she once enjoyed. The majority of ships going to 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 139 

India and Australia do not come into Table Bay for coal, but 
keep steaming until they have reached Port Natal. 

Smokestacks about the shore of the bay are not numerous 
enough to class the place as a manufacturing center. One often 
wonders what people do to earn a living in some of the cities 
of South Africa, in view of blacks doing so much of the work. 
Wages in Capetown, the lowest paid in South Africa, are not 
enough for comfortable living. Clerks, bookkeepers and 
clerical help generally are offered $y to $10 a week. House 
rent is very cheap, however. 

The blacks and colored of the Cape Province participate in 
the franchise, and a native of Tembuland was a member of the 
provincial Parliament. Strict laws in the old Boer provinces 
prohibit selling liquor to natives. While all natives here can- 
not vote, all voters have a right to drink liquor. So, if a 
native has money to buy whisky, he need merely say he is a 
voter and the saloonkeeper will take his word for it. When a 
black man can drink all the whisky he can pay for, and has 
a vote, that means insults and danger to life for the white of 
both sexes. This is the deplorable stage reached, to a notice- 
able degree, in Capetown. The white population is decreas- 
ing and blacks are becoming more insolent. The native of 
Capetown is not like the Zulu, nor the Barotse. He is copper 
colored, lower intellectually, of uninviting features and meanly 
inclined. Instances are frequent when the black of Capetown 
will not share the sidewalk — the white man must step off or 
get into a fight with half a dozen of these drunken natives. 

To be allowed to land in Capetown one must have a hundred 
dollars. Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, foreigners — no 
one can land if he has not that sum. The tariff charged on 
foreign goods is from 50 to 125 per cent. The latter figure ap- 
plies to tobacco. On a pound of American tobacco, which sells 
in the United States for 40 cents, there is a tax of $1.20. 

Sixteen days is the shortest time in which mail can be trans- 
ported from Capetown to England. The distance separating 
these two points is 6,000 miles. 



I40 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Groote Schuur, the home of the late Cecil Rhodes, of very 
striking design and richly furnished, is located here in one of 
the finest estates in the world. Having a splendidly wooded 
park, with good paths built at convenient sections, it is shaded 
by the towering clefts of Table Mountain. The entrances to 
the Rhodes estate were never locked, and one had only to push 
open a gate to come in touch with nature in a superior form. 
Passing away in 1902, eight years before the consolidation, but 
far-seeing enough to know what the future policy of the country 
would be, Rhodes bequeathed Groote Schuur to the first Premier 
of a United South Africa. Louis Botha, elected to that high 
office, thereby came into possession of this attractive home. 

" Your Hinterland Is There " is one of the inscriptions 
carved on the granite base on which the bronze figure of Cecil 
Rhodes rests in the Public Gardens of Capetown. The front 
of the figure is facing north, and a hand is pointed in the 
same direction — to Rhodesia. " So little done and so much 
to do " were the plaintive words of a man who had added 750,- 
000 square miles to his country's already large possessions. 

The wine industry is prominent in this province. Some years 
ago the grapevines were ravaged by a disease. Grape stocks 
were imported from the United States, and the native vine en- 
grafted to the American plant, when the industry again thrived. 

Snook, a fish three feet in length, numerous about the Cape 
Peninsula, seemed the principal food of a great number of poor 
colored people of Capetown. 

In a place that has been an English possession so long one 
would expect to find a general use of the English language, but, 
on the contrary, natives and a majority of Europeans speak 
Dutch. 

Newspapers and printing in general are ahead of the town. 
The wages, however, are low compared to other large places 
in South Africa. 

" Hi'm the merry widow ! " he shouted. " Hi'm the merry 
widow ! " A Cockney Jew, with a grooved face, was among 
the merchants who sold goods — underwear, shirts, socks, hair- 
combs, handkerchiefs, etc. — on what is known as the Parade 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 141 

Ground on certain days of the week. He wore on his head a 
woman's white straw hat with a soft, broad brim, which flopped 
against the sides of his face while he vigorously cried his wares. 
Around the crown of the hat was a garland of artificial flowers 
— daisies, roses, forget-me-nots, etc. He stood on a box, and 
told his auditors he was almost giving everything away. He 
talked at the rate of a thousand words a minute, more or less, 
working so hard that the perspiration on his face resembled a 
large water-soaked sponge when pressed. While streamlets of 
sweat ran down the flutes in his cheeks, he frequently inter- 
larded his cheap-bargain harangue with, " Hi'm the merry 
widow! " " Hi'm the merry widow! " 

Nearly 200,000 people live in and about Capetown, and the 
mixture is the worst in South Africa. Malays came to the 
Cape Peninsula years ago, and the mongrel ofE-shoots of these, 
with Arabs and natives of St. Helena and other places, em- 
phasize the word " colored." 

Being situated at almost the junction of two seas, the South 
Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the climate is the best in South 
Africa. The weather is never very hot, and frost is unknown. 

We shall travel northward over the Karoo again to Bloem- 
fontein, then easterly across the Orange Free State to Lady- 
smith, board a train going south, and return to Durban. 

As stated in the early part of this volume, I had $1,350 when 
I left New York. On returning to Durban I had $637. 
With that sum I was about to start for India. The second day 
after reaching Durban, however, I obtained work on the lead- 
ing newspaper, which furnished me with employment for six 
months. My wages averaged $40 a week. Modest comforts 
were good enough for me, and, living expenses being reasonable, 
I was enabled to put away a snug sum. Work was there for 
me if I wished to " drop in " the next year, so I promised to be 
on hand. This opened an opportunity to visit another con- 
tinent — Australia — which I had not taken into calculation 
before leaving New York, as at that time I had not money 
enough to do so. So, early in January, I was on my way to 
the Antipodes. 



142 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

On my return from Australia I took another trip to Johan- 
nesburg and back. I went to work the first of August and 
continued to the middle of December. Then I made a trip to 
Zululand, and upon my return was again offered work. As 
I had not enough money for the remainder of the journey, I 
decided to stay. Taking another trip to East London, King- 
williamstown, up through Kaffraria, to Cradock, Bloemfontein, 
Kimberley, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and back to Pietermaritz- 
burg and Durban, in the middle of March, 1912, I went to 
work for the third time, and finally bid good-by to Durban in 
July following. 



■# 



LEG THREE 



CHAPTER I 

Thirteen first-class passengers — four women, three men 
and six children — boarded a steamship at Durban for Aus- 
tralia. The vessel was a cargo ship, but had accommodation 
for a small number of passengers. She had started from a 
Swedish port in the Baltic Sea with a full cargo of pine lumber. 
The distance from the Baltic port to Durban is 8,000 miles, 
and the ship's final destination was to be Brisbane, Queensland, 
Australia, over 7,000 miles further east. Speaking about long 
voyages, this one should satisfy the most ambitious. 

A Swedish woman, with two children, boarded the ship at 
her home port, with Sydney as first landing. From Sydney 
she intended to sail to the South Sea Islands, until she reached 
Vavau, Tonga (Friendly Islands), still 2,000 miles further 
east from Sydney, where she and the children were to join her 
husband. The time required to travel from the Baltic seaport 
to Vavau was over three months, counting stops. 

From Durban to Melbourne, 6,000 miles, the fare was only 
$100 first class. Food was good, the ship steady, and weather 
fair. Our captain was a jovial soul, and the passengers proved 
a congenial group. The vessel was well manned by a white 
crew. 

The second day out again found the albatross and Cape 
pigeon as our companions. Later we sailed down to latitude 
39, south of which sailors term the " roarin' forties," where the 
weather became chilly. Two islands — St. Paul and Amster- 
dam — were the only land seen during the voyage, and not a 
single ship. One cultivates a genuine respect for seafaring men 
when traveling on ships that bring one in intimate touch with 
them. They are so thoroughly versed in the science of naviga- 
tion that they know to a foot's space almost what part of the 
sea they are sailing over. 

145 



146 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

One of our lady passengers, returning to Australia, her na- 
tive country, had her three children with her. Years before 
she and her husband left for South Africa, where fortune smiled 
on them; she was returning a wealthy woman. A New Zea- 
lander and his wife, an Australian, also were returning from 
South Africa. A baby had come to their home in Boerland 
and they were returning to Kangarooland to show the hopeful 
to their friends. 

A feature of the sea at night in that stretch of the Indian 
Ocean represents what might be termed a starry marine firma- 
ment. The water contains phosphorous in sections, and, when 
opposing forces clash, bright, blue-white lights come thickly to 
view and twinkle and scintillate on crests of waves made by the 
wash of a vessel. These sparkling beams have their season 
during periods of contact, when, like embers, they gradually 
flitter away as the waves assume their normal level. From 
bow to stern the water line of a ship will be aglow with star- 
like streaks, the wake of a vessel appearing as a " milky way," 
this marine illumination taking place where the sea is 
" plowed " by merchantmen, as it were. 

" Is that Rottnest Light ahead, captain ? " asked the New 
Zealander. " Aye," answered the skipper. " We'll anchor 
outside the breakwater about 3 o'clock in the morning." We 
had been sixteen days out from Durban, and every one had a 
good voyage. In the forenoon, after the port doctor had com- 
pleted his examination of the passengers and crew, we passed 
through the channel and into the harbor, and soon were along- 
side a dock at Fremantle, West Australia. We had reached 
Leg Three. 

" What Ho ! " is the national salute of Australia when coun- 
trymen meet, and if the reader will allow me to step slightly 
in advance of my notes, I shall take the liberty to offer, " What 
ho ! " to " the Down-unders." The use of the term " Down- 
unders " is explained by Australia being situated almost in a 
direct line under that section of the globe constituting Europe. 

" A White Australia " is the slogan of the people of the 
Antipodes, and the first thing one notices on coming from any 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 147 

of the black countries is the absence of black men about the 
docks. 

Twelve miles up the Swan River from Fremantle, Perth, 
the capital and metropolis of the State of West Australia, is 
located. It was in 1827 that Captain Stirling sailed to the 
mouth of the Swan River, where Fremantle is located. He 
decided the location would make a good settlement site. Perth 
later sprang into existence, however, and grew so fast that 
Fremantle, with a population of 18,000 people, is but a port 
for the State Capital. 

Big things are met with in Australia, and the State of which 
Perth is the official center is about four times larger than the 
State of Texas. 

One inwardly joins with the people of the Commonwealth 
in their national slogan when the industrial activity is so strik- 
ingly contrasted between " Darkest Africa " and " White Aus- 
tralia." Australia is seen at her best when coming from any of 
the black belts. 

The European style of passenger coach is in use, and the 
freight cars are also European, some of these not one-third as 
large as the American box car. Small locomotives are also in 
use. The country from Fremantle to Perth is sandy, the only 
verdure growing being the eucalyptus, or gum tree, as it is 
called. Homes seen along the railway track were of red 
brick. 

When Perth — with a population of 60,000 — was reached 
— well, it looked like one of the busy cities of the North. 
Smokestacks, streets crowded with people, splendid buildings, 
all work being done by Europeans, all vehicles drawn by good 
horses — no oxen in sight ; streets asphalted — in that far-off 
land one will find as busy and as up-to-date a city as exists any- 
where. Credit for this substantial condition of things is more 
strongly emphasized when it is remembered that West Aus- 
tralia is very hot, more suited to black races than white. 

Clean streets, with bright-colored red-brick residences, one 
story in height, are prominent in this section of the country. 
A large number of working people are their own landlords, 



148 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

and those who do not own their own homes pay $3.50 weekly 
rent. The weekly system of paying bills — house rent and 
store bills — is the custom in Australia. As the government 
owns the railroads, postoffice and other public utilities, the em- 
ployes in these departments, as those of municipal and private 
employers, are also paid weekly. This has proved a good sys- 
tem. 

The street car system is good, cars being of the double-deck 
type. This was the first place the American system of street- 
car transfers was noticed. 

One finds here a splendid park square with plenty of free 
seats and space, flowers and grass. In a larger park, a short 
distance away, is a zoo. There is also a museum, art gallery, 
a good library, hospitals and schools. 

Many people were gathered in the larger park on a holiday, 
and had brought lunch with them. The thermometer regis- 
tered 107 in the shade. At one place in the park a big kettle, 
three feet high, hung over a wood fire, was boiling. The holi- 
day-makers came to the kettle for hot water to make tea. It 
looked out of place to see hot tea drunk in such weather, yet 
tea is the non-alcoholic drink of that country, and is said to be 
the best for that climate. The city employed the man who 
boiled water for the tea. 

Swan River is said to be the home of the black swan, the 
graceful bird that makes ponds and lakes so attractive in many 
parks in the world. 

Good meals could be had for twenty-five cents. Grapes 
were selling for four cents a pound, and peaches, melons, and 
other fruit sold at a proportionately low price. Mutton sold 
at four to six cents a pound ; beef, from ten to twelve cents, and 
pork at twelve cents. 

Educating the young is a pronounced characteristic in West 
Australia. The schools are maintained by the State, are free, 
and attendance is compulsory from the age of six to fourteen 
years. Twenty-one dollars is the sum the State fixes for the 
schooling of a scholar. Scholarships of the value of $250 a 
year are offered annually for competition among pupils between 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 149 

the ages of 11 and 13 years. Other inducements are made to 
bring out the best that is in the growing generation. In 
sparsely settled farming districts, where ten or more children 
are to be found, the State reaches out a beneficent hand to 
qualify the child for the battle of life. In addition to appro- 
priations for their schooling, and where the children must ride 
to school, 12 cents a day is paid to the person in whose vehicle 
the children are carried to and from the schoolhouse. Where 
a railroad runs through these sections, and the children ride 
on trains to and from school, no fare is charged. 

Very liberal inducements are held out to persons taking up 
government land. Twenty years' time is allowed the settler 
in which to pay for his farm, and the interest charged is four 
to five per cent. Residential growth and improved conditions, 
of course, result from the transaction. 

To prevent destruction of crops by rabbits, which do a great 
amount of damage to growing grain in some parts, the govern- 
ment has gone to the expense of building rabbit-proof fences 
about tracts of land it has for disposal. The quality of wheat, 
oats and other cereals is of the best, meriting the awarding of 
first prizes at world expositions where they have been on ex- 
hibition. Sheep-raising is another great asset of Western Aus- 
tralia. 

The rich gold fields of this State are located from 300 to 
350 miles east of Perth, in the heart of a desert, of which a 
large area of West Australia is composed. In 1884 gold was 
discovered in this section of the Commonwealth, but a greater 
rush to the mines occurred in 1890-92, when the Coolgardie 
and Kalgoorlie finds became known. In this industry a hun- 
dred thousand persons are engaged. Before a railway was 
built over this barren stretch of country from the coast to the 
mines, many an adventurous soul perished during his journey 
in quest of the precious metal. No water is found in this dis- 
trict, that needed in homes and for treatment of the ores being 
" imported," pumped from a dam near Perth through pipes of 
30 inch diameter for this great distance. Besides gold, copper, 
tin and coal are mined. Black workers are excluded. 



I50 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Wages paid are more equalized than in other countries. 
Laborers receive a minimum of $2 a day, and mechanics from 
$2.50 to $3 a day. Eight hours is a day's working time. 

Newspapers are fully abreast of this hustling city. Printers 
receive $21 to $25 a week, the hours of work on newspapers 
seldom exceeding six. I had been offered work in Perth, but, 
my destination being Melbourne, I continued eastward. 

We had traveled 4,300 miles from Durban to Fremantle, 
and 1,700 miles separate Perth from Melbourne. Twelve 
hundred miles of that distance was to be across the Great Aus- 
tralian Bight. 

Fourteen hours' sail east from Fremantle, Cape Leeuwin 
was reached, the most westerly point of land of the Australia 
continent, and one of the most dangerous points for ships in 
the world. The distance traversed to clear the Leeuwin is 25 
miles. 

Dutchmen were early explorers in Australia, and parts 
touched bore the names of the head of the exploring parties, and 
sometimes the captains of the ships. Some of the names were 
Eendracht Land, Nuyts Land, De Witt Land; but of all the 
places given names by the Dutch, Leeuwin Cape is the only 
one well known. That part of Australia was early known as 
New Holland. The Dutch set foot on West Australia 200 
years before Fremantle became a settlement. 

Across King George's Sound, on which Albany is located, we 
sailed, when the Bight was entered. The Bight is famous for 
its rough sea; accounts of the vengeance it has wreaked on 
mariners, travelers and ships would fill many pages. 

** Do you think we'll have a good voyage through the Bight, 
captain ? " asked a passenger. " The barometer indicates fair 
weather," he replied. Continuing, he said : " The last time 
we came through we had very * dirty ' weather. Slowly the 
heavy sea was forcing us to shore. I saw we could not keep 
our course with safety, so I pointed the nose of the ship to the 
storm, but for 24 hours we gained only half a mile against the 
force of the sea." " Did you fear for the ship? " " I wasn't 
afraid," he answered, "so long as the engines stood the strain; 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 151 

but they were taxed for every ounce of power. Look at the 
black mark on the chart. That is where a vessel went down," 
he added. When a sailor uses the term " dirty " weather, as 
stormy and rough seas are called by seafaring men, a land- 
lubber will be at a loss to find a word in any dictionary to 
describe what he thinks of such weather. We fortunately had 
good weather through the Bight. 

Cape Otway, about a hundred miles west of Melbourne, 
marks the eastern end of the line that divides the Southern 
Indian Ocean from the Southern Pacific Ocean, and the Cape 
of Good Hope, in South Africa, marks the western end of the 
line dividing the Southern Indian Ocean from the Southern 
Atlantic Ocean. The distance separating these two points is 
6,000 miles. The meeting of the currents of the two seas, 
confined by the western coast of Australia, makes the water 
very rough in the great bay, or Bight. From Cape Otway 
eastward we were in the Southern Pacific Ocean. 

Twenty-seven days after leaving Durban we sailed into Port 
Phillip and up the Yarra River to Melbourne, where the 
Swedish vessel was made fast to a wharf. " I trust we suc- 
ceeded in treating you right," said the captain on going down 
the ship's ladder to the wharf. " Fair weather through life," 
were his parting words. 

It is said an American laid out the city of Melbourne; if 
that be so, this one service reflects much credit on the land of 
his birth. In a world contest for the Commonwealth's capital 
site design an American of Chicago was awarded first prize. 
Australia aims at having the most attractive capital in the 
world, to be located at Camberra, in the State of New South 
Wales. American civil engineers also have taken a prominent 
part in the construction of the large weirs or reservoirs that the 
Commonwealth has erected for land irrigation purposes. Mel- 
bourne's streets, 99 feet in width, run at right angles, are kept 
clean and well paved. Built on each side of these grand 
thoroughfares are splendid buildings, utilized for banking, trade 
and general business purposes. What are called alleys in Mel- 
bourne are wider than most of the business streets in Buenos 



152 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Aires. All goods brought to and from business houses go by 
the back entrance. The sidewalks are free of all incumbrances, 
such as iron doors and gratings. No abrupt steps from the 
sidewalks are met with here, the walk, at an incline, sloping 
gradually into the roadway. 

One feature, though, mars that well-laid out, well-built &nd 
well-managed city. It is a privately owned and privately man- 
aged street railway system, which is of the antiquated cable 
type. Some fifteen years ago a franchise was granted by the 
city to a company to install street railways, of cable type, ior 
a term of 20 years. The fare is six cents, and the light in 
the cars is from murky, coal oil lamps. The street railway 
company is getting all it can out of the system, for it is 
well aware that at the expiration of the franchise the city will 
not renew the agreement, but will at once tear up the present 
line and construct a modern one, more in keeping with Mel- 
bourne. 

Melbourne is the capital of the State of Victoria and tem- 
porary capital also of the Commonwealth. Victoria is termed 
*' The Garden State," and the prosperity of the country is re- 
flected in every part of the city by the splendid homes of its 
citizens. They are healthy looking, well fed and well dressed. 
This State, being visited by a regular rainfall, suffers less from 
drought than West Australia, South Australia or New South 
Wales. 

The arrangement and scope of parks is admirable, and seats 
are free. Streets, boulevards and roads here could not be bet- 
tered. Within the city limits are over 5,000 acres of parks 
and public gardens. An imposing Parliament House, a splen- 
did museum, art gallery and a zoo are other notable features. 

Americans are not the only people who speak with a 
" twang," for one meets persons in the capital city whose 
" twang " would make a down-east Yankee green with envy. 
Still all have the British accent. By nature, the Australian is 
unreserved, and seems more American than British. 

Melbourne is termed the " American City," and in the na- 
ture of wearing apparel there is no difference in the cut of the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 153 

clothes. In South Africa, among the English-speaking people, 
the brand of England is stamped on most customs, but in Aus- 
tralia there is a difference. 

Splendid college buildings, with nice grounds; training 
schools, technical schools — at every turn the air is punctured 
with turrets and spires on buildings in which the citizens of 
Victoria are taught the sciences that enable them to take a 
leading part in the advancement of the world. 

The weather being so moderate in Australia, parks so attrac- 
tive, and bathing beaches so convenient to the coast cities, in- 
door life loses its charm. In Melbourne the weather seldom 
gets cold enough to freeze, and, if so, it would occur not more 
than one or two nights during the winter season. The mean 
temperature of that section of Australia is 55 degrees. 

Athletic sports are very popular, as the weather permits of 
such recreation the year round. Horse racing, as an amuse- 
ment, has a strong hold on Australians, and the same horde of 
nondescripts and non-producers found in other countries, who 
live by their wits on " the sport of kings," thrive and flourish 
here on the money of those who earn an honest living. 

" Mate " is the way Australians address each other, and for 
an off-hand salute, sounds better than " Bill " or " Stranger." 
** Right, ho," with scarcely a sound of the " h," is used entirely 
in place of our " All right." A man with a small business — 
say, a news store, green grocery, or printing office — is termed 
a " cockatoo " news dealer, a " cockatoo " grocer and a " cocka- 
too " printer. The term " cow " is used to express displeasure 
or disgust with fowl, animals and even inanimate things. " On 
the wallaby trail," or " on the wallaby," is applied to a fellow 
" on his uppers." " No chop " means there is nothing in a 
proposition made to the fellow who says " No chop." " He 
* bally ' well knew he was wrong " is an instance of how the 
word " bally " is used here, as in England. " Tucker," in 
Australia, is the term used when speaking of food, in the same 
sense as " grub " in America. 

The educational system of Victoria is of the same high char- 
acter as that of West Australia. The sum required to educate 



154 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

a scholar a year is $19, $2 less in Victoria than in West Aus- 
tralia. It is the boast of State and government officials that 
a child whose parents live in isolated parts receives as good 
teaching as children in city schools. With such a splendid 
school system, it is needless to touch on the advanced intellectual 
position of Australians. 

Government pensions for both husband and wife are paid 
when they have reached the age of 60 years, and when their in- 
come does not exceed $250 a year. The pension paid is $2.40 
a week each, $4.80 for the old couple. Citizens who are in- 
capacitated, and have not reached the age of 60 years, are also 
paid the $2.40 a week. Young persons deformed or mentally 
incompetent also receive the pension, or, rather, their guardians 
do. In cases where a man dies and leaves a widow and children 
without means of support the government looks after them. 
Any representative citizen living in the community in which 
the fatherless family resides will accompany a family to court. 
He tells the judge the circumstances attending the bereavement 
of the family, and declares the widow is unable to support her- 
self and children. The mother then surrenders her children, 
and they become wards of the State. When that phase of law 
has been gone through, the judge next appoints the mother 
guardian of the children. Each child thereafter receives $i.20 
a week from the State. The children must attend school, 
though, from the age of 6 to 14 years. This is the minimum 
sum given by the State, but there also are municipal and other 
funds to help needy citizens. Should a boy of such a family 
become apprenticed to a trade after leaving school, the em- 
ployer pays the wages of the boy not to the mother, but to 
a State official, in charge of that department. The boy's earn- 
ings are put in a savings bank until he has reached his majority. 
Reports are made as to his habits from time to time, and, should 
he be of an industrious nature, the money that he has earned 
while an apprentice is returned to him when he has become a 
journeyman. How many poor, fatherless boys in other coun- 
tries have several hundred dollars handed them at 21 years of 
age? 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 155 

No State or municipal poorhouses are found in Australia. 
Homes, however, are provided for infirm persons, but these are 
maintained by religious and charities bodies. The State, of 
course, would lend a helping hand were these organizations 
crippled for funds to carry on their laudable work. 

To help settlers cultivate government land, from $250 to 
$10,000 is advanced to an immigrant who means well. Certain 
conditions in the nature of improvements and residence must 
be complied with. The time given the settler in which to pay 
back money advanced is 20 to 33 years. The interest charged 
is four to five per cent. If drought or other agencies renders 
the settler's crop a failure and he has no money to meet his pay- 
ments, the government does not swoop down and take his farm, 
but advances more if circumstances threaten to drive him from 
the land. He will be looked after until he has good crops. 
The government has yet to lose a copper from advancing money 
to settlers. Agricultural Department officials visit farmers to 
teach them how to get best results from the soil. The land 
does not become freehold property, however, but is leased for a 
long term. 

Two persons out of every five of the citizens of Victoria have 
savings bank accounts. The average wealth in this State per 
head of population is $1,253. An income tax is collected on 
all salaries of $1,500 and over. The tax becomes greater in 
proportion to the larger salaries or incomes received. 

Previous to 1901 each State was a separate division, fixing 
its own customs dues, legislating only for itself, and at each 
State boundary line were custom houses and State officers. The 
federation of States into the Commonwealth took effect Jan- 
uary I, 1901. 

There is an average of three beeves to each person, and 20 
sheep to each inhabitant. Mutton, beef, cheese, wine, fruit 
grain, flour, wool, hides, tin, silver, copper and iron ores are 
exported from that far-off country to centers north of the 
equator. 

Melba, the opera singer, is from this State. In Paul Kruger, 
South Africa produced probably the greatest man born south 



156 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

of the equator, and the fair State of Victoria has reason to be 
proud of the diva, the most widely known woman born south 
of the equatorial line. These two seem to be the total of the 
Southland's contribution in recent times to the world's great 
personages. 

Some Chinamen live in Melbourne, but a majority of them 
came to Australia years ago. These are mostly engaged in 
furniture manufacturing, and Mongols practically control the 
industry. The slogan, " A White Australia," is as pronounced 
in Victoria as in other States. To gain entrance to Australia 
an Asiatic must pay an immigration tax of $500. 

Good newspapers are published in that city, but none issues 
Sunday editions. Printers on these earn from $25 to $30 a 
week. Other mechanics receive $18 to $21 a week. 

Meat sells from 6 to 12 cents a pound; eggs from 20 to 36 
cents a dozen. House rent, which is paid by the week, runs 
from $3.50 to $4.50. 

Class distinction is usually foreign to any new country, but 
the lines are tightly drawn between labor and capital In Aus- 
tralia. Skilled mechanics and laborers generally stand together 
in political matters on election day, and the employer, capitalist 
and that class of citizen oppose the labor party. 



CHAPTER II 

Traveling from Melbourne to Adelaide, 483 miles, gave 
opportunity to study Australian railways. The railroads are 
State or government owned, and the fare is two to three cents 
a mile. The coaches are of European type, the schedule 30 
miles an hour. Compartments are generally fitted for eight 
persons. One difference was observed in these coaches from 
the South African — no free sleeping accommodation was pro- 
vided. Sleeping cars are run on Australian lines, however, but 
a berth costs $2.40 a night. The system of heating the com- 
partments in chilly weather is by iron pipes, like those used in 
the South African trains — foot warmers. But there is one 
commendable feature about the Australian railway system, 
namely, no steps to the cars, the platforms of all stations being 
built on a level with the platform of the passenger coach. 

" Mate, you may share part of my rug," spoke the man sitting 
opposite in the compartment. " There'll be no chance to get 
our feet on the foot-warmer, and the atmosphere will grow 
chilly before morning. It is large enough for us both," he 
kindly added. As in South Africa, almost every one in Aus- 
tralia carries a rug, or blanket, as we call them. His kindness 
was much appreciated, for, as it turned out, the foot-warmer 
did not move in our direction for the night. This is another 
instance of how obliging I found Australians. 

A city looking more like a large park than a business center 
is how Adelaide appeared. When laid out, in 1837, it com- 
prised a tract of land a mile square, and around this area is a 
park strip of land half a mile wide. The mile square area was 
originally the business and home section of Adelaide, but resi- 
dential requirements have far outgrown the original space. 
Over two thousand acres of land in and about the city are set 

157 



158 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

apart for public and botanical gardens, park squares and for 
sports grounds. The city is located in a fertile plain, encircled 
by a range of green hills on two sides, and has as a foreground 
the blue water of St. Vincent's Gulf. 

A pathetic incident accompanied the laying-out of this beau- 
tiful city. After the surveyor. Colonel William Light, had 
selected the site and surveyed the streets his plan was ridiculed 
by his fellow colonists. Being of a sensitive nature, their crit- 
icisms and jibes so worried him that he found relief from taunts 
in an early grave. In Victoria Square stands a splendid bronze 
monument to the designer of Adelaide, with this brief inscrip- 
tion chiseled out of the granite base: "Light." 

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, has a population of 
200,000. Its wide streets and great park space make the area 
as large as that usually required for a city of half a million. 

An agricultural college, mining college, and other means of 
popular education insures a high percentage of intellectual at- 
tainment. The same splendid public school system that has 
been touched on as existing in West Australia and Victoria is 
maintained by both the municipal and State educational depart- 
ments here. Money for educational purposes is voted to an 
almost reckless degree by the States of the Commonwealth. 

The homes of the people of Adelaide are fine. Where they 
are not entirely built of stone, there is at least a stone front and 
brick side walls. The houses are mostly one story, containing 
from five to seven rooms, with a veranda on each and flowers 
in every yard. Most of these homes are owned by the families 
who occupy them, but some rent at from $3.50 to $4.50 weekly. 
" Poor," " slum " and " wealthy " residential distinctions are 
pleasantly absent in Australian cities. 

The botanical garden, zoo, museum. State and municipal 
buildings, business blocks, the lighting and street railway sys- 
tems are all very good. The ambition of the Australian seems 
to aspire to the best, as little of a shoddy character is in evi- 
dence. The statues about the cities also are as good as one will 
see the world over. The stores and shops compare with any 
for quality and attractiveness. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 159 

Ordinary meals could be had for 25 cents, and comfortable 
accommodation, with good food, was obtainable in any of the 
cities for $1.50 a day. 

The bird life of the country adds to its attractiveness. The 
emu, next in size to the ostrich, is on his native heath, and the 
lyre bird is a native of Australia, too. In the " bush," as the 
woods of Australia are termed, revel the cockatoo, macaw, par- 
rots of diiferent species; the kookooburra, or laughing jackass, 
and the smart magpie are quite numerous. Australians are 
very proud of the native birds. Chasing the emu on horseback 
is a sport indulged in in some sections. 

The English sparrow was taken to Australia by settlers from 
the British Isles, and he has proved a source of annoyance to 
the people of that country, as well as that of others. Another 
bird imported from England, the starling, a very dirty and 
destructive one to berries, is also an eyesore to the people. This 
bird is numerous in Adelaide. Rabbits were unknown in Aus- 
tralia before settlers from the North made that country their 
home. Being very destructive to crops, large sums of money 
are expended to build rabbit-proof fences about tracts of farm- 
ing land owing to the millions of these creatures that infest the 
country. The moderate climate admits of perpetual breeding. 
Australians do not eat rabbit meat. 

The rabbit trapper of Australia is an independent sort of 
a citizen. His disposition is akin to that of the fellow who 
will sit on a log all day to catch a six-inch fish, and considers 
his time well spent when he walks into his home, carrying his 
quarry by a spear of long grass pulled through the vent in the 
gills. Ships loaded with frozen rabbits leave Australian ports 
for England at frequent sailings. 

The kangaroo is termed in Australia " the native," and is 
harmless when met with under any circumstances. The smaller 
specie is known as the wallaby. Kangaroo is the biggest game 
on the Australian continent. Its tail is the only part used as 
food, and then only for soup. 

A story is told of an English woman who became engaged to 
a native Australian. She started from England to meet her 



i6q seven legs across THE SEAS 

fiance at Adelaide. She had told her friends she was to be 
married to an Australian native. When she reached the end 
of her long journey and came ashore friends in Australia who 
met her, pointing to a kangaroo close by, remarked that the 
animal was the native Australian. "What!" shouted the 
bride-to-be. " Am I engaged to marry a kangaroo? " 

The national flower is that of the wattle tree. This tree 
grows large, its leaves are small and of a very dark green color, 
and the limbs are dense. Blossoms come out very thick, and 
leaves, limbs and body of the tree are hidden from view under 
a profusion of rich, gold-colored flowers. Tracts of wattle- 
tree groves extend for miles, and when all the trees are in bloom 
it is a treat for the eyes seeking floral beauty. 

Mutton and lamb are the meats chiefly eaten. One seldom 
gets a good cup of coffee in British territory, for the reason that 
the British are a tea-drinking race, and the same applies to 
Australia. As evidence of the hospitality met with in homes 
of British colonists, food dainties are always served with tea to 
callers. 

After having said good-by to Adelaide, we boarded a train 
going to Melbourne. Upon reaching Ballarat, having heard of 
the Eureka Stockade, behind which gold miners defied militia 
in 1854, induced a longing to see this historical spot on the 
Australian continent where men faced each other with firearms. 
The skirmish between miners and troops came about through 
the authorities charging miners exorbitant sums for gold mining 
licenses. A stockade was thrown up — it is there to-day — and 
from that shelter bullets whizzed at the troops, and soldiers' 
bullets whizzed at the miners. The battle lasted ten minutes, 
after two dozen miners had been killed. With this exception, 
Australia is as barren of warfare lore as a large part of the 
country is of vegetation. Gold mining is still in active opera- 
tion, and profitable. While gold is mined in all the States of 
the Commonwealth, the output of the West Australia mines is 
greater than the combined production of the other five. 

When gold was discovered in Ballarat, in 1850, 65,000 
people landed in Melbourne the next year, and in five years 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS i6i 

337,0(X) had found their way to the diggings, although in those 
days vessels were small and slow, and the distance from Europe 
to Melbourne is 13,000 miles. 

Ballarat has a population of 50,000, is in the State of Victoria, 
and 75 miles west of Melbourne. One of the principal streets 
is 168 feet wide. How many cities are there in the United 
States, the size of Ballarat, having an art gallery, a museum and 
creditable botanical garden? Ballarat has these. A nice lake 
also is within the city limits. The attractiveness of this place 
is unusual for a gold mining center. 

With an acquaintance, a football game between two crack 
elevens was attended, and the price of admission to the grounds 
was 12 cents. 

Ballarat holds her own in the matter of buildings, good light- 
ing and street car systems. 



CHAPTER III 

Passing from the ocean through The Heads to Sydney Har- 
bor, there unfolds to the eye perhaps the grandest foreground 
of a city, landscape and soft-water scene to be found in any 
part of the world. From the harbor — scalloped with pretty 
bays — to the left rise, on a gentle slope, bright-colored brick 
and red-sandstone homes with red-tiled roofs, the openings car- 
peted with ever-green lawns, animated by flowering gardens, 
a soft brush-grown space here and there, or a blushing cove, 
walled by friendly rock — a willing partner to molding the 
frame incasing this splendid picture. Traveling toward the 
city, the vessel circuits evergreen islands, passing smart sailing 
craft and swift-moving launches, when a point of land, part of 
an attractive park, invitingly juts its grassy space into the noted 
harbor. The Botanical Garden next comes to view, when the 
Norfolk Island pine tree — none more shapely in the world — 
seems to suggest to the visitor that there is something good even 
beyond. To the right of the harbor — also fringed with cozy 
bays and rippling coves — on another slope, there spreads out 
a grand landscape that can come only from gum bush and 
tropical foliage, the former in this instance. The harbor be- 
comes dotted with hurrying ferry boats, carrying people from 
one side to the other. The city of Sydney then becomes out- 
lined, and, from the striking panorama of red-sandstone struc- 
tures, there is revealed a galaxy of towers, turrets, spires and 
domes that unerringly suggest the highest industrial ideal of a 
people living in a center of civilization and modern achieve- 
ment. 

As Capetown is the cradle of South Africa, so is Sydney the 
cradle of Australia. Nine miles from Sydney, in Botany Bay, 
James Cook, an Englishman, anchored his ship Endeavor. 

162 



'^ X^ ;-^^ 





Parliament House, Melbourne (top), and Victoria 

Markets, Sydney (bottom). 

Australia. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 163 

That was in 1770, six years before the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was signed by the American colonists. For two hun- 
dred years previous to Captain Cook's raising the British flag 
on the shores of Botany Bay, Dutch, French, Portuguese and 
Spanish navigators had gotten glimpses of that great continent, 
but failed to implant the ensigns of their respective countries 
on it as Cook did. It was anybody's country up to the year 
1770. Section after section had been annexed by the English 
from time to time, until all the continent and islands close 
by had become British territory. Not a shot was fired to 
acquire these different sections. Eight years after Captain 
Cook reached Botany Bay, Arthur Phillips landed and formed 
a convict settlement on the site from which Sydney had grown. 

In 1788 there were but six head of cattle in Australia; to- 
day there are over 15,000,000. In the same year there were 
but 29 sheep; to-day nearly 100,000,000. 

Heated arguments take place frequently anent the merits of 
Sydney harbor and that of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said to be 
the two best harbors in the world. The distinction between 
these two grand havens is similar to that existing between Vic- 
toria and Niagara Falls. Where the land about Sydney harbor 
gracefully slopes and admits of the striking panorama from 
The Heads, or entrance to the Harbor, to Circular Quay, hills 
shut from view the attractive city of Rio de Janeiro. The 
Brazilian capital cannot be seen at a point where Sydney har- 
bor's beauty reaches its climax. On the other hand, Rio de 
Janeiro's harbor is twice larger, dotted with over a hundred 
tropical islands, and of good depth. The length of Sydney 
harbor is eight miles, with comparatively few green islands, and 
at places the water is none too deep for ships of great draught. 
Also The Heads of Sydney harbor are squatty compared to the 
high, bold stone pillars bet^veen which vessels sail through a 
narrow but deep channel into Rio de Janeiro's haven. It 
would seem that Sydney's harbor is the prettier, Rio de Janeiro's 
the greater and better. 

Three-quarters of a million busy and industrious people are 
engaged in factory, mill, shop, office and store in modern Sydney. 



i64 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Every one of these will do any task with pleasure that tends to 
enhance the commercial prestige and attractive appearance not 
only of their city but of the Commonwealth. In no other 
country will one find a more patriotic race of people; but, 
though British subjects, their patriotism seemed to be for Aus- 
tralia. They have a national flag, national emblems on their 
money coins — in fact, Australia is deeply stamped on any and 
every thing Australian. 

Travelers are often disappointed when visiting points of in- 
terest based on local reputation; but Sydney is the exception to 
the rule. One can spend at least two weeks in the State capital, 
going to different attractions from day to day, and will find 
everything reputed to be of interest worth one's time going to 
see. For this reason it has become known as the " holiday 
city." Sydney is one of the most difficult cities in the world 
to describe, because everything is so good. One would be justi- 
fied to begin and finish an account of Sydney with the word 
•' Splendid." 

Not until I reached the capital of the State of New South 
Wales did I find government or municipal ownership of public 
utilities meant anything in the way of cheaper or better service. 
The street-car service of Sydney is, I believe, the cheapest in 
the world. The charge is two cents for each " stage," but the 
" stages " in Sydney are far apart. The clumsy, slow, double- 
decked car is not to be seen. 

An express train leaves Sydney for Melbourne at 8 o'clock 
every evening, and had one decided to start that journey on a 
Sunday and depended on street car travel to the railway sta- 
tion, he would surely miss his train. The cars come to a stand- 
Still from 7 to 8 o'clock, while church services are being held. 

A loaf of bread in Sydney must be a loaf of bread. The 
legal weight is two pounds, and employes of the city bureau 
who look after the staff of life keep a close watch on bakers 
to see that customers are not cheated. An inspector is apt to 
halt a driver of a baker's wagon at any point, jump into the 
vehicle, pick up a loaf of bread, take from his pocket a collaps- 
ible scale, put the loaf in the tray and particularly note its 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 165 

weight. If the bread should be an ounce under weight the 
baker will be fined $5, and should the loaf be two ounces short 
of weight he would be fined $10 — $5 for every ounce under 
two pounds. The quality of the bread, by the way, is, like 
everything that goes to make up Sydney, excellent. 

Vulgarity or profanity is not heard about the streets. Any 
unsavory remark that reaches the ears of a policeman will cost 
the careless one at least $2.50. 

Stopping at a small and tidy hotel, located three squares from 
the postoffice, the rate was but $1.50 a day. Good meals were 
served at restaurants about the city at 25 cents. Serviette is the 
word always used in British territory for table napkin. 

House rent for working classes ranged in price from $15 to 
$20 a month, payable weekly. Meat sold at 6 to 12 cents a 
pound. Clothes are cheaper in Australia than in South Africa, 
because Australia uses its own wool. 

" When you will have brains enough to owe your butcher 
$15, you'll get a better grade of meat." Two women were 
seated on a bench in a park, talking about dresses, hats, en- 
gagements, marriages and babies, when they touched on house- 
hold matters. One told the other her troubles with her butcher 
— could not understand why she got inferior meat. Her com- 
panion asked if she paid cash for her goods, and the complaining 
one answered, " Yes." It was then that the suggestion con- 
tained in the first sentence was made. 

Concerning freedom of speech and liberty in a general sense, 
one sees no difference from what he has been used to in his 
own country while traveling about, but does admire the quality 
of law that is dispensed and maintained in British territory. 

While looking about the exhibits at a State agricultural fair 
one can reach a fair conclusion as to the nature of a country 
by the products shown, more particularly if one has been raised 
on a farm. At a fair visited there were cattle with backs al- 
most as broad as a full-sized bed. The weight of some of these 
animals was 2,500 pounds down to 2,000. It seemed as if an 
exhibitor would be laughed at were he to enter a steer that 
weighed under a ton. Horses on exhibit were of the same high 



i66 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

class. The reputation of the Australian horse extends beyond 
local bounds, and he is known as the Australian " whaler." 
Sheep, chickens, pigs — from the top of the list to the last only 
the best of each kind were exhibited. Australian cattle and 
horses are aristocrats compared to South African breeds. 

Education for children living in the " back blocks," as dis- 
tant parts of Australia are termed, is hauled on wagons. A gov- 
ernment teacher travels about in a wagon covered with a tent 
and stops at the home of every settler who has children. The 
tent is lifted from the wagon to the ground, and school ex- 
ercises are gone through. Would not the trouble and expense 
that the Commonwealth of Australia goes to for fitting its peo- 
ple to meet the struggles of life " warm the cockles of your 
heart" to such a government! This is called the "traveling 
school," and it would be a waste of time to dwell in detail on 
universities, colleges, technical and the lower-grade schools of 
the educational department of New South Wales. 

The conditions of giving land to settlers by the State of New 
South Wales are liberal. If one is a white man, is willing to 
work, and wants a farm, he will get the land, and money to 
make a start with, too. 

The English system of money is in use. That system is not 
on a decimal basis, which deficiency seems out of place in an 
advanced country like that of the Commonwealth. For this 
reason efforts are being put forth to change the system to a 
decimal basis. The kangaroo and enu are stamped on the face 
of some of the money coins in use, but these will not be ac- 
cepted as legal tender in other British countries. 

" Smoke, ho," is the term one might hear were he to pass a 
gang of men working on a railroad or at any work where a 
group of men are employed. The weather gets very hot in 
summer, and rests are taken at intervals. When the foreman 
of the gang says " Smoke, ho," that means a breathing spell, or 
quitting time. 

The State of New South Wales, of which Sydney is the 
capital, is the richest in the Commonwealth. The sheep in- 
dustry is the greatest. Smokestacks from factory and mill are 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 167 

thickly dotted not only about the city but far into the suburbs. 
Great quantities of butter, beef, mutton and wool, wheat and 
flour are exported from that State, besides ores and coal. The 
exports from Australia now are very large, but what will they 
be when the country becomes even one quarter settled ? 

Wages have increased from time to time in Sydney, until 
now bricklayers receive $5 a day. That figure is good wages 
in Australia, for the climate permits of outside work the year 
round. The city is growing ■ all the time, the demand for 
mechanics naturally increasing. Few mechanics receive less 
than $3. The lowest wages laborers receive are $2, but that 
figure is often exceeded. Printers on newspapers earn $27 to 
$30 a week, the working time not exceeding 36 hours. Good 
board can be had at $4 to $6 a week. No one works Saturday 
afternoons in the British colonies visited. 

Excellent newspapers are published in Sydney — fully in 
keeping with the city. On looking over their pages, one must 
give much credit to the publishers for the cable dispatches 
printed, as the news rate must be high when sent from centers 
6,000 to 13,000 miles away. 

A thousand acres of splendid park area are located in and 
close to Sydney, divided into 37 parks. Within a radius of 25 
miles are 70,000 acres of park land. Besides, there are half 
a dozen good bathing beaches within easy reach. 

Over a hundred miles from Sydney, in the Blue Mountain 
range, is located a tract of stalactite and stalagmite caves. 
These are the property of the government, and known as Jeno- 
lan Caves. The caves cover a large area of land, and explora- 
tion is going on all the time. Over a dozen of these are now 
open to visitors, and the trip is well worth while taking. But 
while Jenolan Caves are much greater than those of Luray 
Caverns, Virginia, one will find in Luray better formations and 
a prettier grade of that mineral than can be seen in Jenolan. 
It is another case of Victoria Falls and Niagara. Jenolan 
Caves are much the greater, but Luray Caverns are the prettier. 
In caves of this character columns of stalactite and stalagmite a 
foot in diameter may be seen, and when it is remembered that, 



i68 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

in one instance at Jenolan, a stem of stalactite has grown but 
one-thirty-second part of an inch in 30 years, what a tremendous 
age the larger columns must have attained! The atmosphere 
in this section of the Blue Mountains is of a deep blue color. 
Mount Kosciusko is the highest peak of Australia, rising 7,308 
feet. 

In that section of country kangaroo may be seen hopping 
about the hills, feeding on grass and sprouts, or standing up 
on their hind legs to watch if any one is coming their way. 
Timidity starts them, at the slightest alarm, to holes in the 
mountain, and where rocks are located at the place of conceal- 
ment these are as polished granite from their heavy tails passing 
over them on coming out and going in. 

The difference in railroad gauges is proving a source of much 
inconvenience to transportation. In New South Wales the 
gauge is standard, 4 feet 8^ inches, and in Queensland the rail- 
road is narrow-gauge, 3 feet 6 inches. So, going from Sydney 
to Brisbane, passengers, cars and freight must be changed ; also 
in going from Sydney to Melbourne, when the Victoria border 
has been reached, a complete change has to be made, as the Vic- 
toria gauge is broad, 5 feet 3 inches. The width of South 
Australia railroads is 5 feet 3 inches and also 4 feet 8^ inches, 
but those of West Australia are again narrow-gauge. 

One not familiar with the population of American cities 
would come to the conclusion that San Francisco, Cal., was 
the greatest in the United States, judged from the number of 
times it is mentioned by Australians. As a matter of fact, both 
Melbourne and Sydney have a greater population than the 
Californian metropolis. Seldom are New York, Philadelphia 
and Chicago mentioned. This is accounted for by San Fran- 
cisco being nearer to Australia than any other American city. 

" Two years before the fleet came," and " About a year after 
the fleet was here," are instances of how recent great events 
are referred to. Evidently the visit of the American battle- 
ships to Australia, when the fleet made its trip around the 
world, proved an epoch in this country. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 169 

Before leaving the " mainland," I want to acknowledge ray 
gratitude to Australians for the many courtesies extended and 
kindnesses bestowed. I had been offered work in most of the 
places visited. 



CHAPTER IV 

From Melbourne we sailed across Bass Straits up the Tamar 
River to Launceston, Tasmania, located at the northern part of 
the island. Abel J. Tasman, a Dutch navigator, discovered 
what is now Tasmania, in 1642, after whom the island is named. 
Van Diemen's Land, however, was the name given to Tasmania 
by its discoverer, but was changed later. The Dutch seemed 
to have been good navigators in early years in the Pacific and 
Indian oceans, but they proved poor land-grabbers. With 
Tasmania as a key to the mainland, it would seem the spirit 
of daring did not extend further than the decks of ships, for 
Tasman finally left Tasmania, and later on it fell into the 
hands of British navigators. 

Tasmania is the smallest of the six States of which the Com- 
monwealth is composed. It has its upper and lower legislative 
bodies, a governor from England — in all respects a self -con- 
stituted State. The length of the island from north to south 
is 150 miles. 

Tasmania is known as " the sanatorium " of Australia on ac- 
count of its good climate. At Launceston this was plainly 
borne out by the rosy cheeks of the people. The city itself, of 
25,000 population, is attractive from its parks, its iron-latticed 
porches and verandas, a splendid stretch of natural scenery 
known as the Gorge, and the unassuming nature, plain but 
tidy appearance, and contentment of the people. Few smoke- 
stacks were in sight, and as a business center it does not hold 
kinship to the bustling cities of the mainland. 

" This is the way it is all the time ! " said a second-hand 
clothing dealer who had invited me to call at his store, he hav- 
ing gone from America to the Southland to make his fortune. 
The store was as empty of customers as a church is of worship- 
ers at midnight. 

170 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 171 

The commendable custom of Sunday evening concerts in the 
colonies was in vogue in Launceston, only the one attended 
here was held in a beautiful park instead of in a town hall. As 
in other places, the concert did not begin until after church 
services. In the same park is a small zoo, very good for the 
size of this city. 

The wages of workers are low, mechanics receiving from $2 
to $2.50 a day. Calling on one of the daily newspapers to see 
how things looked, when it became known that I was from the 
United States most of the composing room force stopped work, 
gathered about me, questions coming eagerly concerning con- 
ditions in America from every angle. I was to leave the city 
a few hours later, when two of the force left their work and 
saw me on the train. 

Hobart, 135 miles south of Launceston, was the next stop. 
This is the capital of Tasmania, and has double the population 
of Launceston. Hobart is situated at the delta of the Derwent 
River, and has a splendid harbor, with Mount Wellington be- 
hind the city, water in front, and a large domain or park at 
one side. While showing little life commercially, there is a 
charm about the Tasmania capital that sticks to one. 

Three women to one man is Hobart's unequal population. 
The wages are so small that any young fellow with an ounce 
of pluck will cross Bass Straits to the mainland cities, where his 
labor sells for more than a bare living wage, with opportunities 
for amounting to something later that Tasmania does not offer. 
A preserve or jam factory in Hobart furnishes girls and women 
with employment. 

Food and house rent are cheap, and for these reasons, to- 
gether with the splendid climate all the year round, a considera- 
ble number of ex-British army officers, who have a pension, go 
there to spend their last days. 

No stale fish is eaten in Hobart. At the wharfs many fish 
dealers are found, and their stock is kept in barges or scows 
containing enough water for the fish to swim In. A customer 
points out the fish he wants to buy, when it is speared and 
handed to the purchaser alive. One fish found in that locality 



172 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

— the " trumpeter " — is as sweet as American shad, and it has 
fewer bones. Oysters do well also in Hobart waters, as that 
city is nearly as far south of the equator as New York is north 
of that line. Fish caught in a warm climate have not the same 
flavor as fish that inhabit the waters of a colder one. An angler 
is at home when lolling about the brooks and rivers that abound 
a short distance from the city. 

A dollar a day was all I paid for accommodation at a tidy 
hotel. That sum included three meals and a room. 

One will find here a good museum, creditable art gallery and 
splendid park system, also a good street car system, electric 
lights, gas and other utilities. 

" Appleland " would be a suitable name for Tasmania, as 
upward of 3,000,000 bushels of apples are shipped from that 
island each year, and the shipments are increasing. The Huon 
district, some 20 miles from Hobart, is the great apple growing 
section of southern Tasmania. Apple trees grow in these parts 
where nothing else would thrive, and large tracts of orchards 
are seen on the sides of rocky hills. Trees are not allowed to 
grow over six feet high, which adds much to the convenience 
and cheapness of picking. They are trimmed each season, and 
the stumps are eight inches in diameter in some instances, but 
only the stump, which will not rise over six inches above the 
ground, is left. The sprouts grow from the stump, and these 
do not, as stated, exceed six feet tall. These apples do not hang 
only from the ends of the limbs, as they do from most apple 
trees in America. Blossoms bloom from the body of the limb, 
and the limb and trunks of the sprouts are entirely covered with 
apples. Apples grow from the limbs as freckles on an arm. 
Ten acres of apple land in southern Tasmania bring in a nice 
yearly income. The trees grow bushy, and as many as 20 
bushels are often picked from one. Most of the apples shipped 
from Hobart go to England, the time of shipment being from 
February to June. 

Fifty miles from Hobart stands the walls of the old Port 
Arthur Prison, as well as the walls of the church, cracked and 
ready to fall, covered with ivy vines, where the prison officers 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS I73 

worshiped ; the nice avenues of trees where the freemen enjoyed 
the shade on a hot day are very pretty, and the cozy bay, with 
Point Peur jutting into still and attractive waters, suggest 
nothing, so far as nature is concerned, as to the place having 
been one of the most inaccessible, impenetrable prisons of the 
world. What was known as the hospital building is in good 
condition, and serves the small community of Carnarvon as a 
town hall and public school. 

Port Arthur has been changed in name — to Carnarvon — 
as most of the places that have had anything to do with the 
early prison days of Van Diemen's Land. The prison was lo- 
cated on a strip of land, 12 miles in length, called Tasman 
Peninsula. Water naturally borders both sides of the peninsula, 
and the narrow neck of land at the head — Eagle Hawk Neck 
— of the peninsula is less than a quarter of a mile wide. 

Just across the small bay from Port Arthur is Point Puer, 
on which for years there had been a boys' prison. Both men 
and boys sent to these prisons, located 13,000 miles from Eng- 
land, had committed alleged offenses in Great Britain. In ad- 
dition to these two male prisons there was also one for women, 
but the latter was not located at Port Arthur. The ages of 
boys sent to the Point Puer ranged from 12 to 15 years. A 
number committed suicide, induced by homesickness ajtid other 
causes. This inhuman state of affairs being brought to the 
late Queen Victoria's attention, she ordered the boys' prison 
razed to the ground. 

The narrow neck of land referred to separates Norfolk Bay 
from the Pacific Ocean. To-day there are, or were recently, 
a row of posts standing across Eagle Hawk Neck — from Nor- 
folk Bay to the ocean. To these posts dogs had been chained, 
the chains just long enough to allow a dog fastened to one post 
to meet the other. Some of these posts were driven in the bot- 
tom of Norfolk Bay, and on them was built a rest for the dogs 
to jump on when the tide was in. On each side of the narrow 
strip of land soldiers were stationed, the string of dogs be- 
tween. Were a prisoner, in trying to escape the hardships of 
Port Arthur, to get beyond the sentries, and attempt to get by 



174 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the dogs, an uproar would be made by the canines, and the 
sen,tries on the other side would be on the alert if a prisoner 
chanced to get by the vicious dogs; so that any effort to escape 
by that route would be futile. 

Norfolk Bay at that point is also narrow — not over a quar- 
ter of a mile wide — several prisoners making their escape by 
swimming across. To forestall further escapes by that means, 
sharks, which had been imported, were placed in the bay and 
fed. So, between the soldiers and the dogs on guard at Eagle 
Hawk Neck and Norfolk Bay full of sharks, once brought to 
Tasman Peninsula escape was impossible. 

Masks were worn by prisoners when they attended church 
services, so that no recognition could take place. In addition 
to that precaution, the seats in the church had a board at the 
back as high as a man's head, and the prisoner was closed in by 
boards on each side. The preacher was the only man that could 
be seen when sitting in the box seat. From 1842-46 19,000 
convicts were sent to Tasmania. Sometimes many died during 
the voyage. The only humane feature connected with the 
convict traffic was that the ship doctor received $2.40 for every 
prisoner who landed in Tasmania. Naturally, the doctor 
would do his best to collect the fee. The last shipment of con- 
victs took place in 1877. It is said some prisoners sent to Tas- 
mania had committed minor offenses, such as shooting a rabbit 
on another's property, stealing chickens, inability to pay debts, 
and similar charges. 

Eucalyptus trees are said to grow to a height of 350 feet in 
certain parts of Tasmania, and also in some other States. 

Reading accounts of the products of the Commonwealth, its 
exports of wool, meat and ores, and being unfamiliar with the 
obverse side of the picture — droughts, deserts and the rab- 
bit pest — one would little expect to hear the question asked, 
" Will the 5,000,000 industrious populace of Australia, a name 
that fascinates as does California, and having an area one- 
quarter that of the British Empire, ever increase to 25,000,- 
000? " 

Only a fringe of this continent is habitable, behind these fer- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 175 

tile tracts being expansive wastes, on portions of which rain does 
not fall, at times, for several years. No such river as the 
Nile or Mississippi flows through these salt deserts. Near the 
coast, visited by moderate rainfalls, are sections in which 
drought is ever feared, where wells have been bored to depths 
of thousands of feet, only to find, when a water vein has been 
pierced, that, in many instances, the flow proves to be salt 
water, unfit for drink or irrigation purposes. The two chief 
rivers of Australia — the Darling and the Murray — are small 
compared to waterways that course other countries. In dry 
seasons the water becomes low, and in drought periods the bot- 
toms of these rivers offer little more moisture than is found on 
the plains. 

Not more than one per cent, of the land of this great con- 
tinent is under cultivation. In order to insure the harvesting 
of crops in favorable seasons, millions and millions of dollars 
have been expended by the government in building rabbit-proof 
fences; the quantity used would encircle the globe nearly half a 
dozen times. Added to this outlay, large sums have been ex- 
pended in boring wells, building reservoirs and establishing 
water stations on cattle and sheep ranges. Buying land from 
landowners controlling large tracts, obtained by devious means 
in the early stages of the country's development, is still another 
heavy national expense. This land, when allotted to small farm 
settlers, is leased. Leasing the land, instead of granting the 
freehold, does not augur for a rapid increase in the rural popula- 
tion. 

Quality, not quantity, seems to be the aim of the Common- 
wealth in regard to the immigrant entering its shores. " As- 
sisted passages " apply chiefly to domestic help and agricultural 
workers of British birth or of British descent, and these must 
be in good health and of sound body. A strong sentiment seems 
to be prevalent for immigration, but those engaged at the va- 
rious trades, and even the professions, do not encourage the 
coming of additional artisans to the respective vocations or an 
increase of names to the professional roster. Hence, the small 
volume of immigration to the Antipodes. 



176 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

With a desert comprising a major portion of the continent, a 
temperature of lOO to 120 degrees prevailing over a large area, 
with but few rivers, pure water lakes or refreshing streams, 
and the bowels of the earth giving up brackish and salt water, 
thereby dispelling hope of the sandy wastes being reclaimed and 
the ravages of drought counteracted — meeting with failures in 
battling to overcome these natural barriers to development, we 
can picture running through the Australian's mind the para- 
phrased biblical quotation: "Paul may plant, Apollo may 
water, but God must give the increase." 



LEG FOUR 



CHAPTER I 

Our first stop in New Zealand was at Bluff, a small port 
nearly a thousand miles eastward across the Tasman Sea from 
Hobart. Though composed of only a few hundred people, 
this place, nevertheless, commands the attention of a traveler, 
as it is one of the most southerly outposts of civilization, there 
being no white habitation between Bluff and the South Pole. 
Tons of cheese and butter were here loaded into the ship, 
brought by rail from Invercargill, eighteen miles inland, the 
commercial center of a thrifty farming district. 

Abel J. Tasman, in 1642, was the first white man to discover 
New Zealand. He was frightened away by a warlike and fear- 
less race of natives, but mapped out the coast line roughly, and 
named the country Staaten Island, which Dutch officials altered 
later to New Zealand. Captain James Cook, in 1769, was the 
first to land on New Zealand soil, which he did after much 
dickering with the Maoris; it then became a British possession. 

While traveling through Devereux Straits from Bluff to 
Dunedin, one of the three islands comprising New Zealand — 
Stewart Island — was to the south. It has an area of 665 
square miles, a mild and pleasant climate, and was a favorite 
assembling place for American whaling ships twenty-five to 
thirty years ago. A Maori settlement, most of the natives 
being fishermen and oysterers, form the chief inhabitants. 
Oban, twenty miles from Bluff, is the principal town. The 
straits between South and Stewart Islands was red with prawns, 
and thousands of fowl were feeding off these crustaceans; the 
birds make their home on the latter island. Later we reached 
the Heads of Otaga harbor, passed Port Chalmers, and seven 
miles further the vessel docked at Dunedin, a stronghold of 
the Scotch. 

179 



i8o SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

In 1848, after a voyage of several months in sailing vessels, 
two ship loads of Scotch Presbyterians from Scotland sailed up 
Otaga harbor and disembarked at what is now known as Dune- 
din, where they formed a settlement. Scotch energy was at 
once put into action — some of the colonists building homes, 
others turning over the soil of this virgin country, then seed- 
ing the land, later harvesting their meager crops — all initial 
undertakings requiring more patience and persistence than after- 
ward, when better supplied with tools and implements, and more 
familiar with natural requirements. From this small begin- 
ning — followed by periods of anxiety, disappointment and 
hardship, as settlers, with more courage than money, in most 
all new countries have endured in battling with the uncertain 
phases which confronted them — the pluck of these hardy pio- 
neers is represented in Dunedin being the metropolis of southern 
New Zealand. 

Losing time hunting for level land or gently sloping hills on 
which to establish a city was not the Scotch way of doing 
things. The hills are so high, steep and rugged where the 
citizens of this center live that electric power would fail to 
draw street cars up some of the inclines; hence steps are cut 
into the rocks, and walks, made of boards, lead up to many of 
the homes. Like the rocky hills within the municipality, Dune- 
din is solidly built. Dark graystone figures largely in building, 
and streets are good and well looked after. An electric street 
car system is another asset, and the railway station is one of the 
best government buildings in New Zealand. Numerous church 
steeples rising about the metropolis attest the well-known re- 
ligious tendency of this race; an art gallery, museum, libraries, 
schools, colleges and other factors indicating intellectual ad- 
vancement, are found here — 14,000 miles from Scotland and 
the gateway to the Antarctic region — a credit to Scotland grit. 
Among the manufactures are woolen goods and farm machinery. 
Frozen meat exports from the Island Dominion, as this country 
is often termed, are large. This great industry had its incep- 
tion here, the first cargo being shipped in a sailing vessel from 
this port in 1881. Burns' clubs, bagpipe bands — which thrill 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS i8i 

a Scot wherever found — and Caledonian societies have flour- 
ished here since its settlement. The bands keep things lively, 
appearing frequently in complete regalia, the pipers holding their 
own with any in Scotland. 

Sixty thousand people live in Dunedin, these being mainly 
Scotch. Some of the early colonists came from Dundee and 
others from Edinburgh, Scotland. While settlers from the 
former were bent on naming their new home Dundee, those 
from the latter wanted the place called Edinburgh. A compro- 
mise was finally reached by their taking the first syllable of 
Dundee (Dun) and the first and second syllables of Edin- 
burgh (Edin), calling the place Dun-edin. 

Ho ! An American flag was flying from the mast of an old 
three-masted schooner in Otaga harbor. Though I had trav- 
eled nearly 22,000 miles since leaving New York and had been 
at the main ports of three continents, this was the only occasion 
the Stars and Stripes was observed flying from a vessel. 

Little difference was observed here in the clothes worn or the 
general customs in vogue in America; but British names for 
certain business callings are the rule, such as ironmonger, fish- 
monger, mercer, draper, etc. 

Everybody cuts their own bread in Dunedin. Sometimes 
resting on a wooden dish, and in other instances on an ordinary 
piece of board, the loaf is placed on the table, with a big knife 
alongside. Meat is served carved, however. 

Splendid horses are noticeable — the big, heavy-bodied, hairy- 
legged Clydesdale breed. 

Street cars do not run earlier than i o'clock on Sunday after- 
noons, when church services are over. 

Liquor licenses are issued only to hotel-keepers; none to 
places where travelers are not accommodated. Hotel expenses 
were only $1.50 a day. 

South Pole expeditions sailing from Europe generally call 
and remain some time at Port Chalmers to refurnish their 
stores before piercing the icy reaches of the Antarctic division of 
the world, and this is the first port explorers reach upon emerg- 
ing from that but partially known region. Dual names to 



i82 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

many seaports throughout the British Empire prove confusing 
to the ordinary person. A news cablegram may tell of a South 
Pole exploring vessel having reached " Port Chalmers, N. Z." 
Seafaring men would know at once by the name the message 
bore that the explorers were in Dunedin ; but very few persons 
in America or Europe would know that Port Chalmers and 
Dunedin denote the same place. Durban, South Africa, is an- 
other instance of a place known by two names. A seafaring 
man would call Durban " Port Natal " instead of the name by 
which it is better known ; and cables also give it as Port Natal. 
Instances could be cited of a captain saying he was sailing to a 
certain " port " which a passenger never heard of, but who 
would readily recognize the place if the name was mentioned as 
it is designated in books. 

The apteryx — or kiwi, as this bird is generally called — is 
a native of New Zealand, and one of the strangest fowl in the 
world. Man, beast, animal and fowl have been provided with 
two arms and two legs, four legs, or two legs and two wings, 
respectively. The kiwi, as large as a hen and brown of color, 
however, has been furnished with two legs, but has no wings. 
Its feet are similar to those of other fowl ; it has a long bill, and 
thin, scattering feathers grow straight from its head. The 
sides of the kiwi appear as free of wings as those of a cat. The 
habits of that strange bird are similar to the pheasants. Its 
call note, " ki-i-wi ! " uttered during the early hours of the night, 
has great penetrating power, and ceases after midnight. 

" Not far from here is a waterfall with a drop of 2,000 feet 
— the highest in the world," remarked a patriotic New Zea- 
lander. "Is it an uninterrupted waterfall?" was asked. 
" No, there are several breaks," was the answer. When re- 
minded that Yosemite Falls, in California, has a sheer drop of 
1,600 feet and a total descent of 2,400 feet, it occurred to him 
he may have used the word " world " inadvisedly. Not far 
from Dunedin is the natural scenic section of that country, 
with a splendid chain of lakes, glaciers, high mountains and 
attractive gorges. The highest mountain in Australia is 7,000 
feet, and Mount Cook, not far from Dunedin, rises to 12,000 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 183 

feet. Cold weather prevails in this section in winter, accom- 
panied by ice, snow and blizzards. 

No snakes or poisonous insects are said to be found in that 
country. One may lie down on the earth in any place and have 
no fear of being bitten or stung by anything that lives under or 
on the surface. 

From Dunedin to Christchurch I had my first experience 
riding on New Zealand trains, owned by the government. 
Some of the passenger coaches are patterned after the American 
cars. The track is more than a foot narrower — 3 feet 6 
inches — which does not allow room for two persons on a seat 
on each side of the car aisles. One row of seats will seat two 
persons, but those on the other side accommodate but one per- 
son. Seats are upholstered, and the train schedule is 30 miles 
an hour. This was a first-class car, and the fare three cents a 
mile. Some of the second-class coaches are not as well equipped. 
Boards, secured to the sides, with only a thin cushion over them, 
run the length of the vehicle. It is merely a bench, no partition 
separating passengers, the side of the coach serving as a back 
rest. The corner seats are coveted ones, as a passenger can put 
his back to the end and stretch his legs. It is the worst accom- 
modation I have seen in railroad coaches. The government 
charges its patrons two cents a mile; no reduction in fare is 
allowed for return tickets. 

A hundred miles south of Christchurch the road passes 
through a rich farming countr)'^ known as Canterbury Plains. 
Farm land in that district sells at $200 to $300 an acre. Great 
quantities of frozen mutton, wool and grain are shipped from 
Timaru, a seaport town in that section. As many as 6,000,- 
000 carcasses of mutton and lamb are shipped from New Zea- 
land each year. There are over 25,000,000 head of sheep in 
the Island Dominion. 

One would never think It was possible to conduct a farm on 
an eight-hour basis, yet those are the hours worked by farm 
hands in New Zealand, with extra pay for overtime. Wages 
are good, also, as they run from $30 to $40 a month with board. 

One would feel safer with hobnails in the soles of his shoes 



i84 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

while walking about some of the residential sections of Duncdin, 
so steep are the hills; but Christchurch is built on a level sur- 
face — on Canterbury Plains. Dunedin, as stated, was settled 
by the Scotch, but Christchurch was settled by the English in 
1850, two years after the foundation of Dunedin was laid. 

Instead of States, the Dominion of New Zealand is divided 
into provinces, and Christchurch is the metropolis of the Can- 
terbury Provincial District. It has a population of 70,000 
thrifty people, and the city is rich in beautiful flower gardens, 
fruit trees, and grassy lawns, while the River Avon, its water of 
a glassy clearness, and its grassy and tree-covered banks, unit- 
ing in forming a picture, winds attractively through the city. 

Here may be seen splendid churches, colleges and schools. 
Seldom is a church the center or hub of a city, yet street cars 
stop and start from the Cathedral of Christchurch, and it is the 
point from which distances are measured. No skyscrapers, nor 
such grand buildings as Melbourne and Sydney can boast of 
are seen here, yet everything has a solid, attractive and com- 
plete appearance. 

The homes of the people attract attention by the large space 
in front of them and at the sides. Each lot contains one- 
quarter of an acre — 66 feet in front and 136 feet in depth. 
Houses are mostly one story, and flowers, shrubs and grass in 
front and at the sides add much to their comfortable appear- 
ance. Most of these are owned by their occupants, and where 
rent is paid, which, as in Australia, is on a weekly basis, the 
rate is from $3 to $5. Every home has its own reservoir or 
water supply. Some thirty feet under the surface there is 
said to be a lake, and each householder bores in his yard until 
the water gushes up. The waste water running from these 
thousands of wells serves as a flushing system. Christchurch 
streets are of good width — 66 feet. 

One could not expect to visit a prettier place than Hagley 
Park, through which the beautiful Avon River runs. Weep- 
ing willow trees grow on the banks, and the ends of their 
drooping limbs are constantly refreshed by the water in which 
they rest. Besides the general attractiveness of the park, there 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 185 

is a splendid museum containing much of interest, built within 
the grounds. 

" Wait Until Car Stops, Fine $25," is a caution to pas- 
sengers posted in street cars of that city. Were street car com- 
panies in some American cities fined $25 every time a conductor 
forgot to signal a stop at places where he was requested to do 
so there would be more appointments kept, money saved pas- 
sengers, and less wrangling. 

Every one is his own bread carver here, as in Dunedin. The 
New Zealander, like his Australian brother, is a meat eater. 
Beef sold at 10 to 12 cents, mutton at 6 to 8 cents, and pork 
at 12 cents a pound. 

Good newspapers are printed in this city. Wages are $15 to 
$16 a week. Laborers receive $2 a day. An eight-hour day 
is universal in New Zealand. 

The system of measurement in both New Zealand and Aus- 
tralia is that of the chain — 66 feet. A chain wide, two chains, 
two-and-a-half chains long, are the terms used. 

Prohibition has a considerable hold on the people, as most of 
the smaller cities are " dry." 

Double fare may be charged by cab drivers on holidays only, 
but in other countries cabbies collect excess fares any time pa- 
trons will pay them. 

Theaters, bioscopes, amusements and sports of all sorts are 
found in the city, being freely patronized. 

The kea bird of New Zealand is destructive to sheep, and 
for that reason the government pays a bounty of $5 for every 
dead kea. This bird is of the parrot species, dark green in 
color, with a bill an inch and a half in length, curved like a 
parrot's beak. It will alight on a sheep's back, and at once 
attack the animal in the section of the kidneys with its sharp 
bill, as the only part the kea cares for is the fat growing about 
the kidneys. The animal naturally bleeds to death in a short 
time, when the bird gratifies its appetite at leisure. The desire 
for this food is an acquired one, as the kea first got its taste for 
sheep fat from skins hung on fences and other places to dry. 

The islands of New Zealand are divided by Cook's Straits, 



i86 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

which are 40 miles wide. One section, lying south of Cook's 
Straits, is known as South Island, and the land north of the 
straits is termed North Island. We have been traveling in 
South Island, which is far richer. 

Port Lyttleton, the port for Christchurch, is located nine 
miles from the metropolis. Boats run to Wellington daily, the 
sailing time being ten hours. 

One man one vote, and one woman one vote, is the scope of 
franchise New Zealand offers. Parliament is composed of 70 
members, elected for three years. Several political parties exist 
in the Dominion, and the one in power chooses from among the 
Assembly a successor for the Premiership. Although the Pre- 
mier is the responsible head of the government, over him is an 
imperial official, a governor-general, from the British Isles, who 
is appointed by the King of England. New Zealand, in com- 
mon with other colonies of the British Empire, pays the gov- 
ernor-general's salary. The Cook group of islands, located 
1,800 miles northeast of Wellington in the Southern Pacific 
Ocean, is a dependency of New Zealand, and its affairs are ad- 
ministered by the Dominion Parliament. 

Previous mention has been made of a good railway station in 
Dunedin, and that nearly completed the substantial government 
buildings seen when that country was visited. We also com- 
mented on the poor accommodation furnished second-class pas- 
sengers on railway trains, though paying two cents a mile. A 
wooden building — if it has not since been replaced — " the 
largest wooden office building in the world," is pointed out to 
visitors to Wellington. A government office building in the 
capital of a country — built of wood ! The worst public build- 
ing in the splendid city of Christchurch was the government 
railway station; the station at Wellington would not make a 
decent sheep shed. With passenger and freight rates sufficient, 
and a heavy import duty collected on most commodities enter- 
ing the country, together with an annual tax on incomes of 
$1,500 and over, the dearth of creditable public buildings, and 
the inferior railway accommodation afforded second-class pas- 
sengers, would seem to suggest that government management 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 187 

did not bear the mark of striking efficiency. On the other hand, 
the people are thrifty, courteous, kind, congenial and mostly 
in good circumstances. 

The business portion of Wellington is built at the bottom of 
a chain of high hills, with a splendid harbor front. These hills 
are so steep that stairways and cable lines figure largely as utili- 
ties by which residents reach their homes. One misses the con- 
venient squares and parks found in other centers in that part 
of the world, but the absence of these here is accounted for by 
lack of room, as the space between the butts of the hills and 
the docks is limited even for business purposes. Some distance 
from the business center, however, is a good botanical garden, 
and in another direction are creditable parks, with sports 
grounds included, which enable the capital to make a fair show- 
ing in this particular. 

Most of the dwellings are of wood, and rents are, like the 
hills surrounding the city, high. The weekly system of paying 
bills is customary here. Some of these homes, for which $25 
and $35 a month rent is paid, are difficult to reach, even after 
one has alighted from a cable car. Rents are higher in Welling- 
ton than in any city of Australasia. Wages, too, are compar- 
atively low. Laborers receive no more than in cities where rent 
is much cheaper. Mechanics receive about $3 a day. 

One cannot but observe the trend of industrial advancement 
in almost every quarter of the globe visited. It is a very dull 
place, indeed, where houses or buildings of some sort are not 
under course of construction. In Wellington the sound of 
hammer and saw is heard in valleys and on hillsides miles away 
from the city. Landlords squeezed their tenants so hard that 
the government was finally induced to help the citizens by ad- 
vancing money with which to build homes on sites some dis- 
tance from the capital. 

Arbitration courts fix wages, but that system of settling dis- 
putes between employer and employe works out better in theory 
than in practice, judging from the number of strikes that so 
frequently take place. Anyway, one clause of this law is very 
effective — if a man works for an employer for a less wage than 



1^8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

had been fixed by the court, both employer and employe are 
fined. 

Double-decked street cars are in use in Wellington, as in 
cities of the South Island. A few cars run on Sunday up to 
2 o'clock in the afternoon. The fare up to that hour being 12 
cents, persons going to and from church might have reason to 
pinch on the contribution to make up for excessive street-car 
charges. The custom is hard to explain. Certainly, it is too 
far to walk from some of the valleys to the city, but, as a limited 
number of cars are run for the convenience of churchgoers, why 
this overcharge ? It is possible church-going people have a Sun- 
day commutation ticket; if so, non-churchgoers who patronize 
the cars would pay the freight. 

Gas costs $1.80 a thousand feet here. A private company 
controls this commodity. 

Wellington, with a population of 75,000, is the chief sea- 
port of New Zealand. In addition to being located in the 
center of the two islands, its good, land-locked harbor, deep 
enough to admit vessels of great draught, adds greatly to its 
commercial prestige. Big vessels plying between England and 
New Zealand dock and start from here. 

Meat is no dearer than in other New Zealand cities — 6 to I2 
cents a pound. Telegraph messages cost but 12 cents for 12 
words. 

The government pays pensions to citizens who have reached 
the age of 65 years and whose incomes do not exceed $240 a 
year. This rate is the same as is paid in Australia — $2,40 a 
week each to husband and wife. 

The Town Hall, with other' municipal and business build- 
ings, is a creditable one, and its auditorium and balconies are 
packed with people who attend the Sunday evening concerts, 
furnished by the city, which do not begin until church services 
are over. A good museum is another attraction. Little in 
favor of the streets can be said, however, for they are poorly 
laid out and are not kept as tidy as those in other cities. 

Newspapers are well up to the mark for the size of the city, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 189 

and had I been short of funds, I could have kept my head 
above vi^ater, as I was offered work here. 

The standard of law and order maintained in the Island 
Dominion may be inferred when it is mentioned that there are 
no keys to doors in some hotels. When shown to a room at one 
place the absence of a key was brought to the attention of the 
clerk. " There are no keys to any of the rooms," he ex- 
plained, in a matter-of-fact manner. Notwithstanding high 
rents and the high price of gas, hotel expenses were only $1.20 
a day, 

Pelorus Jack, the pilot f:sh, lives on the other side of Cook's 
Straits from Wellington. Like the kea bird and the kiwi, he 
is in a class by himself — the most remarkable fish in the world. 
He is perhaps the only pilot that ever lived who knows nothing 
about the science of navigation. Pelorus Jack belongs to the 
dolphin family. His length is about 14 feet, and he is bluish- 
white in color. His home is in Pelorus Sound, and the channel 
from that body of water to Nelson is very tortuous. Where 
the channel becomes dangerous for ships. Jack will be found, 
waiting. When a vessel reaches the mouth of the channel, the 
dolphin sallies forth, faithfully following the curves of the 
route, and the ship is steered in accordance with his trail. Out- 
going vessels are also met by this remarkable fish, who precedes 
the ship until it has reached safe water. The Maoris aver 
that Jack has lived in these parts for generations, and in their 
eyes he is an ocean god. An act of Parliament was passed in 
1904 protecting all fish of that species in New Zealand waters. 
As Jack is probably the only fish of his sort living in Cook's 
Straits, he enjoys the exclusive protection of the legislative 
decree. 



CHAPTER II 

Traveling up a steep grade from Wellington, and then 
down the mountain on the other side of the range, the train 
pulled away from the coast and headed northward, speeding 
over the trunk line between the capital and Auckland. Passing 
through tidy towns, then over trestles spanning rippling streams, 
through bushy glens, ornamented with attractive fern trees — 
queen of flora here — which have no superior as a natural 
adornment, we entered stretches of lava wakes, covered with 
a bracken growth. To the right, Mount Ruapehu, 9,000 feet 
high, with its snow-capped summit, came to view ; then Mounts 
Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, lower mountains than Ruapehu, 
appear. We next came to the King country — Maoriland; 
later a stop was made at Francton Junction, where a change of 
cars was made, and then headed for Rotorua, the main attrac- 
tion of the thermal district of New Zealand. 

Rotorua is a place where people come on crutches and lean- 
ing on walking sticks, and a great number of these, on taking 
their departure from the sulphur laden air of that district, leave 
their crutches and walking-sticks behind. 

The New Zealand government owns this part of Geyserland, 
and too much credit cannot be given for the splendid place that 
has been made out of what was formerly a lava-bestrewn stretch 
of land on the shore of the blue waters of Lake Rotorua. 
Broad streets, shaded with beautiful avenues of trees; electric 
lights, gardens and parks, handsome bath buildings, grounds 
for light sports and free music every day, are some good things 
the government furnishes. Board can be had for from $5 to 
$7 a week, and sulphur baths — the water boiling out of the 
ground — cost only 12 cents, including a towel. The Rotorua 
wells have proved heaven-sent blessings to many an afflicted 

190 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 191 

soul. After taking a few baths the flesh assumes a velvety 
softness. 

It was a pleasure to note the improvement in the condition of 
a crippled person who had reached Rotorua on crutches. In 
a few days one crutch sufficed ; in a similar time that crutch had 
been discarded; a walking stick next answered the purpose of 
support, and, finally, with a beaming face and a buoyant heart, 
that same person, whose legs had been distorted for years from 
rheumatism or some other cause, could be seen walking about 
the pretty lawns or shaded streets, unsupported by either stick 
or crutch, with bright eyes and a radiant countenance, at peace 
with all mankind, and prepared to face the battle of life again 
with limber limbs and a grateful heart. 

The geysers of Rotorua — real high spouters — cannot com- 
pare with those of Yellowstone Park. From the shore of the 
lake, for half a mile back, the ground was marked at close 
spaces with gurgling, bubbling and steaming wells, and a strong 
sulphurous smell is nearly always present. One feature of that 
section of Geyserland, however, surpasses any of Yellowstone 
— a large mud pool, called Tikitere. It is really a volcano, 
and the furious, boiling, bursting, smoking pond of sulphuric 
mud commands unusual attention. 

Half a dozen lakes are linked together, each from five to 
twelve miles in length, the sides heavily verdured with an ever- 
green growth, and high hills rising in every direction, making the 
trip through the lakes very interesting. One of these, Rotoma- 
hana, is a boiling body of water. Launches travel through this 
steam-laden lake with as apparent safety and comfort as through 
normal waters. The shores contain numerous and deep fissures, 
steam coming from these openings in great clouds Both lake 
and shores present a scene like that after a big fire, when nothing 
but smoke remains. 

A small Pompeii is among the attractions of this thermal dis- 
trict. The place is known as Te Wairoa, and was over- 
whelmed in 1886 by heavy showers of mud and volcanic ash 
ejected from the volcano Tarawera. Over a hundred natives 
and four Europeans were buried under the mud and lava. The 



192 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

ruins of the settlement — buildings, wagons and other evidences 
of habitation — are yet to be seen. Ashes and cinders ejected 
from the volcano at that time were carried for a distance of 
60 miles. 

At Whakarewarewa, a short distance from Rotorua, is where 
the greatest subterranean disturbance takes place. Quite a 
number of geysers are located at that center, but none of the 
high-spouters were " working." The " crack " or " show " 
geyser of that basin is Wairo. It seems to have imbibed the 
easy-going spirit of the Maoris, for it will " work " only on 
State occasions. For instance, if the governor-general of New 
Zealand were to visit Rotorua, and later " Whaka," as that 
long name is called for short, Wairo would be set to 
" working." The geyser is coaxed into action by throwing 
quantities of soap into the well. Visitors would willingly con- 
tribute money to buy soap to set Wairo working, but as the 
geyser is covered with heavy planks, a prison cell would be the 
reward of a person tampering with the pet " spouter." It is 
said that water is forced to a height of 100 feet when Wairo 
gets into harness. 

Vegetation suffers when coming in contact with the out- 
pourings of the Yellowstone geysers, while about Rotorua the 
steam and sulphuric atmosphere from the steaming wells does 
not seem to interfere with the growth of flora. Jewelry and 
silver and gold coins become black while visiting that district, 
the sulphur in the air having this effect on metal. 

Guides showing visitors about that district are Maori women, 
the price for their services being fixed by the government, to- 
gether with launch charges for sails on the lakes. It is a good 
system, for one then knows beforehand how much money a trip 
will cost. 

New Zealand, unlike Australia, is rife with battle cries, war 
songs and narratives of native bravery. Most of the trouble 
had its inception from land-grabbing by white men, and they 
have succeeded well, although the natives' domain is still large. 
Like most natives, the Maori is not blessed with a great amount 
of ambition, and his needs are common and small, being favored 



SEVEN LEG? ACROSS THE SEAS 193 

with a good climate, as the weather in the North Island is 
moderate the year round. 

The Maori is not a native of New Zealand, but what race of 
people inhabited that country previous to his settlement history 
does not record. It is safe to presume he killed o£E the aborig- 
ines, as he would not brook much interference from an inferior 
race. The Maori is the Polynesian, and in 1350 he paddled 
and rowed in canoes across a stretch of sea for a distance of 
1,700 miles — from the island of Raratonga, one of the Cook 
group, to New Zealand. From that time until New Zealand's 
gradual settlement he held undisputed sway. In color he is 
similar to an American Indian, and is inclined to fleshiness. 

New Zealanders are very proud of the Maori. While of a 
warring race, he is not a criminal. He can be made a friend — 
can be trusted. Intermarriages take place frequently, and it is 
said the white party to the transaction meets with no social 
discrimination. Civilization has proved detrimental to them, as 
with most natives, however, and is diminishing their numbers 
from time to time. Consumption is decimating them fast. 

It was interesting to watch Maori women, with their babes 
on their backs, cooking food and baking bread by the heat from 
boiling springs, so numerous about the shores of Lake Rotorua. 
A board box, large enough to admit a kettle, is placed in a well, 
and an iron grating put at the bottom to rest it on. Meat, fish, 
vegetables or anything to be cooked is put in the kettle. A 
blanket is placed over this to keep the steam from escaping. 
When the food is cooked, the kettle is taken out and the meal 
served. Dough is placed in them also, and the bread is well 
baked. Dried shark meat is much eaten by Maoris. 

Like all South Sea Islanders, he is fond of the water, in- 
dulging in bathing, swimming and aquatic sports. The Maori 
still maintains the skill with large canoes that enabled his fore- 
fathers to paddle 1,700 miles over the Pacific, from Raratonga 
to New Zealand. 

Tattooing is a very noticeable custom of these people. 
Women are tattooed more generally than men. It used to be the 
other way. When the custom began to die out with the men, 



194 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the women took it up, and it is they who keep it alive. The 
marks are made by a dark blue liquid — the sap of a certain 
tree. The forehead and chin are the places where the marks 
are mostly made. Tattooing does not improve the women's 
looks, but they will not allow old fashions to die out. The 
woman is generally the man's master. 

Maoris are a proud and independent race, considering them- 
selves on an equal with the white man. In order that their 
" equality " may be maintained, they will not act as servants of 
the white race. One could not induce a Maori girl to do 
housework for a European for any wage, neither would a 
Maori boy black a white man's shoes. They have a vote on any 
measure affecting their interest, but Dominion suffrage ends 
there. Four Maoris represent their race in Parliament. The 
immigration laws of this country practically prohibiting, by a 
high tax, Asiatic and all other black and colored races from 
entering, the Maori is the only colored inhabitant in New Zea- 
land. 

Any land Maoris sell must be sold to the government and 
disposed of as it sees fit. The government forwards to the 
natives the interest on the principal from these sales when they 
are in need of funds. They prefer to work in the sheep-shearing 
period, which lasts a month to six weeks, during which they 
can earn from $8 to $io a day. As a rule, they do not want a 
steady job. 

Native women wear a charm, called tiki — a flat, green 
stone, one to three inches in width and from two to four inches 
in length. It is a weird image, carved in the stone, having a 
big, lop-sided head and unevenly shaped body. This ornament 
is worn on their chest. A small hole is bored in the top of the 
tiki, through which a string is passed, and, when the ends are 
tied, the loop is placed around the neck. 

Many Maori women smoke pipes. They are a religious 
race, and before entering a church they lift the pipes from their 
mouths and place them on a railing or a step outside. When 
the service is finished, each one, on leaving the building, stoops 
and picks up her pipe, lights it, and heads for her home. 




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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 195 

Homeless white babies and children need not be a charge on a 
municipality where there is a Maori settlement. Natives will 
take all the white foundlings that are offered them. As they 
are an honest race, white children are not only well looked 
after, but are taught good principles also. 

Rubbing noses and shaking hands is the mode of greeting 
when Maori meets Maori, and their offspring learn that cus- 
tom early. As a mother, carrying her child on her back, bends 
to " burnish " noses with a friend, the children seem to lean to 
one side and watch their mammas carry out this old Maori 
mode of greeting. 

Pakeha is the native word for white people, and when white 
persons speak of native and white, pakeha and native are the 
distinguishing terms used. 

Visitors to Rotorua are afforded much amusement by native 
dances and hakas. Women engage in the poi dance, which is a 
series of motions, gone through to the accompaniment of 
a concertina. In the hands of each woman is a ball of grass 
as large as a peach, with a grass string attached. Time is kept 
with these as they come in contact with the other hand, and 
when a dozen strike in unison a shuffling sound results. The 
grass or flax ball is termed the poi. Men only take part in the 
haka, which is a war dance, and a good one, too. An extended 
account of the Maori and his customs would make interesting 
reading. They number less than 50,000. 

Kaikai is the name they give to food in New Zealand. Grub, 
scoff, tucker, and kaikai is the collection of food names to this 
point. 

We now take leave of this pretty place, where crutches, 
walking-sticks, and invalid chairs are converted into kindling 
wood; where pain evaporates with the sulphurous odors, and 
men are made anew by bathing in that far-off pool of Siloam — 
where, as Langhorne so beautifully puts it, 

" Affliction flies, and hope returns," 
and start for Auckland. 



196 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, having a popu- 
lation of 85,000, and was the busiest we had visited. This is 
another leg-straining place, but not so hilly as Dunedin or 
Wellington. Ships from the South Sea Islands are arriving and 
departing continually, as Auckland has a big trade with these 
groups. Most of the shipping between Australia and New 
Zealand passes through Auckland ; many large steamships from 
Europe also head for this port. 

The rosy-cheeked women and children and the healthy ap- 
pearance of New Zealanders generally is a feature one cannot 
fail to observe. Besides, there are few poor people — none 
wearing ragged clothes, certainly — every one tidy in appear- 
ance and well dressed. Few foreign-speaking people live in 
Auckland — 90 per cent, are Britishers — and all have a fair 
education. Schooling advantages are good. 

The city is well supplied with parks ; also a splendid museum 
and an art gallery are among the assets of that busy, far-ofiE 
place. Auckland's street car system is the only one privately 
owned in New Zealand. Unlike Melbourne's, though, it is 
fast and modem. 

The winter climate of Auckland proves a magnet to those 
living in colder parts of the Dominion. It is semi-tropical and 
has an invigorating atmosphere. 

The dwellings are mostly frame-built, two stories high, and 
from $15 to $20 a month rent is charged. Wages do not ex- 
ceed $3 a day for mechanics and $2 a day for laborers. Meat, 
on the other hand, is reasonable, ranging in price from 6 to 12 
cents a pound. 

Servant girls have a union in New Zealand, and their wages 
run from $4 to $5 a week. After quitting time, the lady of 
the house must finish any work that has not been completed. 
A smart New Zealand girl does the work of three African 
house servants. 

The degrading occupation of barmaid was noticeable in 
New Zealand, as in most British colonies. But that kind of 
work for women will gradually come to an end in the Island 
Dominion, as an act was passed forbidding saloonkeepers hiring 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 197 

barmaids. Those that were engaged at that work when the 
act was passed were allowed to remain, but when a barmaid 
leaves the proprietor must fill the vacancy with a man. As 
temperance has gained a strong foothold, it is not likely that, in 
the near future, there will be work of that sort for either women 
or men. 

Punishment by lashes for certain offenses committed by men 
is a law of New Zealand, the number administered being from 
one to fifty. 

All the inhabitants of Australasia are tea drinkers — tea for 
breakfast, tea for luncheon, and tea for dinner. Mutton and 
lamb chops are the meat standbys. 

The government has sadly neglected Auckland in public 
buildings. For a lively business place, and the largest city in 
the Dominion, the railway station was a disgrace; it was little 
better than the one at Wellington, but this comparison adds 
nothing to the Auckland Station. 

When the American fleet visited New Zealand, the sailors 
took a fancy to blankets made in that country, and before they 
left the hospitable shores of the Dominion every blanket in 
stock had been bought. The visit of the United States battle- 
ships here some 3'ears ago proved an epoch-making event. 

New Zealanders are very patriotic, but often, when they have 
visited Australian cities and rested their ej^es on the splendid 
buildings and grand parks there, and quaffed a few draughts of 
metropolitan air that pervades some centers of that country, 
they are in no hurry to return. New Zealand is the best place 
in the world until the New Zealander visits Australia. 

Coastwise shipping, both in New Zealand and in Australia, 
is conducted on a similar basis to that of the United States. A 
steamer leaving New Zealand for Africa or Europe, or any 
foreign port, and stopping at an Australian port to take on over- 
sea cargo, is not allowed to carry either freight or passengers 
from New Zealand to Australia. The same rule applies to 
vessels coming from foreign ports that stop at Australian ports 
with their destination a New Zealand port. Sailors and fire- 
men employed on coastwise ships are paid double the wages of 



igS SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

sailors on oversea ships, the same as paid sailors employed on 
American ships — $40 and $45 a month. 

One steamship company has cornered almost all the shipping 
there is in that part of the world. It is a four days' sail from 
Auckland to Sydney, and the first-class fare is $37. If a 
passenger received first-class accommodation there vv^ould be less 
fault to find with the high charge. A cabin contains six 
berths, and these are nearly always occupied, as travel is heavy 
between the two centers. What would any one paying first- 
class fare on a steamship plying between the United States and 
Europe think if shown a cabin containing six berths, all of them 
taken? One has no choice in Australasia. Second-class ac- 
commodation on the ships of that line is not so good as third- 
class on the European liners. 

The duty on some American exports — grain binders, motor 
cars, manufactured and raw material for various uses — is 25 
to 60 per cent. The duty on tobacco, most of it shipped from 
America, is 84 cents a pound. 

Auckland is very attractive by reason of her good harbor and 
the elevated character of land, on which the greater portion of 
the city is built. 

Gold is profitably mined in both the North and South Islands. 

The newspaper industry is well represented in Auckland, and 
fully measures up to the place. One will find more news from 
the United States printed in Auckland papers than in any other 
newspapers in Australasia. 

New Zealanders are to be commended for their fair treat- 
ment of strangers. Travelers, particularly those from foreign 
lands, pay no more for hotel accommodation and articles bought 
than is charged local tourists. Every one seems to be interested 
in a stranger's welfare, not for what money they can extort from 
him, but from a purely Christian spirit. No petty overcharges 
were imposed — no one seemed bent on getting more out of a 
visitor than was just. We wish them well. 



CHAPTER III 

After a four days' sail over the Tasman Sea we reached 
Sydney, Australia, where, after several weeks' stay, we counted 
our money. Five dollars a day was our basis of expenses, but, 
as hotel rates had not exceeded $1.50 a day in Australasia, we 
found ourselves with a surplus of over a hundred dollars, for 
our expenses had been only $4. a day instead of $5. A very 
enticing trip, taking several weeks, was advertised to Fiji, 
Samoa, and the Tonga Islands for $125. We could spare $100, 
but feared that the other $25 might result in our being held in 
Australia at a time when we had promised to be in South 
Africa. However, we bought a ticket for the South Sea 
Islands trip, and took the chance of a shortage. 

The ship was packed with passengers going to Fiji, as the 
sugar season had just begun. The first suggestion of the 
demoralization that accompanies living in the tropics was ob- 
served here. Whisky-and-soda, whisky-and-soda, all the day 
and a good part of the night, seemed to be the main " amuse- 
ment " indulged in by many of the Islanders. This pro- 
nounced phase of tropical life does not apply to any particular 
white race — people of every nation travel the same road. 

After six days' sail from Sydney the ship was angling about 
treacherous coral reefs, and before us were fields of bright green 
color — the sugar-cane ; several buildings with smokestacks 
rising above — the sugar mill ; one-story frame houses dotted 
here and there; the shores attractive with cocoanut palms, and 
just behind stretches of broad banana leaves, the tops of grass 
and leaf-built huts showing now and again through the foliage, 
were the unerring suggestions that the balmy tropics had been 
reached. 

How savage these strange people, standing on the wharf at 

199 



?oo 'SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Lautoka, looked! The stiff hair was pointing upward for six 
inches from their heads, some so bushy that the bottom of a 
washtub would be none too large to accommodate the mop- 
like, hairy spread. Tall, and of athletic build, their features 
flat and negroid, copper or black in color, with muscles stand- 
ing out from legs and arms, their flesh shining from the frequent 
use of cocoanut-oil, and with a cloth about their waist extend- 
ing to the knees, there stood the redeemed cannibals. 

Their hair is black and kinky, but among groups of Fijis may 
be seen hair of a dark, reddish color, and, again, others are 
completely plastered with white mud. The plaster is coral 
lime, used to change the color, which accounts for the reddish- 
colored mops. Dyeing the hair is only a fad with a native, 
however, for he later on becomes tired of his reddish locks, when 
he will apply a black dye, the hair again becoming its natural 
color. In a few days the coral lime will change the hair from 
black to brown, or reddish. He rubs himself with cocoanut- 
oil every day, which gives his body and limbs a polished ap- 
pearance. That daily massage largely accounts for his mus- 
cles standing out so prominently and also for his splendid 
build. Besides, he puts in a great deal of time bathing and 
swimming, which exercise will add strength to any one. In 
diving he excels perhaps any race in the world, for going to 
depths of from 35 to 40 feet is a common pastime with him. 

The Fijis' mode of dealing with each other is communistic. 
A sailing boat may be seen tied to the trunk of a cocoanut 
palm. All the natives in that district having contributed to 
the building of the craft, when one wished to use the boat there 
was no protest from other members of the community. The 
same principle applies to money; when a Fiji has earned, say, 
$5, he shares with others who may be in need. 

One day a week is about all he cares to work, but he will 
make a sacrifice of his scruples occasionally by working two 
days, when, for instance, a ship is being loaded or unloaded. He 
receives 50 cents a day, with board, for that labor. On the 
wharf are portions of food — sandwiches, biscuits, meat, and 
Other eatables — for each native employed by the ship's com- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 201 

pany. Sitting on their haunches, they devour their allotted 
portion at " Smoke, ho," time. 

Numbers of them gather at a wharf of an evening when a 
ship is in port. Soon the tunes of " Shall We Gather at the 
River?" "Jesus, Lover of My Soul," "Hold the Fort," and 
other well-known hymns fall harmoniously on the balmy air, 
the English words having been translated into their language. 
No missionary, however, can be sure of his black and brawny 
followers, for they think nothing of severing their connection 
with one denomination and affiliating with any other they think 
will better serve them. But all are affiliated with some re- 
ligious body. Cannibalism has not been practiced for forty 
years. Fijians are a docile and agreeable race. 

Unlike his Zulu brother, a Fiji has but one wife, and fam- 
ilies, as a rule, are small, not averaging more than three chil- 
dren. For some years the birth rate was on the decrease, but 
of recent years they have held their own. Some 90,000 natives, 
and 40,000 Indians, or Hindus, live in the Fiji group. 

Their huts are built of reeds, bamboo poles and cocoanut 
trees, the roofs being covered with grass; they have two doors, 
but no windows. Not a nail is used in the construction. 
Mats, made of cocoanut leaves, are spread about the floor, giv- 
ing the inside a neat appearance. Their food is turtle, fish, 
yams, taro, boiled green bananas, cocoanut and rice. A small 
yam looks like a beet ; but some of them grow very large, being 
a load for a man to carry. The taro is the root of a plant like 
a lily, which grows in swamps. With these growing all around, 
combined with the turtles and fish, he is as independent as he 
was a thousand years ago. Then there are papaws, bread- 
fruit and other tropical fruits that furnish all the delicacies he 
may desire. 

A large sugar mill is located at Lautoka, and the sugar ship- 
ment from the Fiji group is nearly 100,000 tons each season. 
The land is very rich, and some of the cane stalks are as large 
as a two-inch pipe. Working in the cane fields and mills being 
too hard for the Fijian, that work is done by Indian coolies. 
Narrow railways are built through the large cane fields, and 



20% SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the stalks are brought to the mills on trucks from the surround- 
ing plantations. Fiji is the richest of all South Pacific groups. 

Free railroad travel is a luxury seldom enjoyed anywhere, 
but this is to be found in Fiji. The distance from Lautoka 
to Ba is 28 miles, and a railway connects the two points. 
There are sugar mills at both places. A concession was granted 
to the sugar companies to build a railway from Lautoka to Ba, 
with the stipulation that all passengers traveling to and from 
these points be carried free of charge. The track is two feet 
wide, and the locomotive is as broad as it is high. A small car, 
with seats placed across, heads the train, and to this is coupled 
several freight trucks. The schedule for the 28 miles is four 
hours, but five and six hours is more often the time consumed 
in making the journey. 

Europeans carrying horse-hair fastened to a stick is the 
first odd thing one notices at Lautoka. Flies are very numerous 
and stick to one like mosquitoes. The fly-swish is used to keep 
" tormentors " from worrying one to death. Australia has 
the same breed of insect, but because of the absence of black 
servants and black help their hands are occupied with tools of 
industry instead of a hair swish with which to insure personal 
comfort. 

Only 150 Europeans live in Lautoka, and these were en- 
gaged at clerical or managerial employment. Few fat men 
were seen, and every one had a bleached appearance. 

Suva, capital of the Fiji Islands, is, with Lautoka, located on 
the island of Viti Levu, the largest of the group. Abel J. 
Tasman, the daring navigator who first set foot on Tasmania 
and first saw New Zealand, was also the first white man to 
come in touch with these islands, in 1643. They became Brit- 
ish territory in 1874. A governor, appointed by the King of 
England, directs the affairs of the group, aided by a legislative 
council composed of eighteen members, twelve of whom are 
appointed and six elected. Two native representatives are in- 
cluded in the legislative council. Great Britain recently ceded 
the government of these islands to Australia. The Fiji group 
are composed of 200 islands, 80 of which are inhabited. The 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 203 

other islands are small, but cocoanut palms grow on most of 
them. 

One thousand Europeans live in Suva, and all of them dress 
in immaculate white. Business houses are located along the 
water-front, and the homes are built on rising hills. These 
dwellings rest on posts driven in the ground, are of wood 
and one story in height. Large verandas are built to the 
homes, and these are enclosed with reeds — this screen keeping 
out the hot sun and allowing the breeze to blow through at the 
same time. 

Flowers grow everywhere, nature being liberal to Fiji both in 
quantity and variety. Leaves on vegetation range from the 
size of an ironing-board down to the finest fern-leaf. The 
sleeping tree, seen in Suva, is of interest. When the sun has 
hid behind the tropical hills the leaves begin to curl, and by 
dark they all close. At daylight, the leaves begin to wake, as it 
were, and a short time after sunrise they have unfolded to their 
full size. One weed or small bush that grows here is a marvel 
of the vegetable world. It is called the sensitive plant. If 
one looks at it, it seems to shrink away, and the slightest touch 
will cause its leaves to shrivel up, as if dead. On leaving the 
plant, the leaves slowly expand again. This plant goes to 
sleep, too, when the chill of evening falls, but opens at the 
first flush of the morning sun. 

" The king of plants," the hibiscus, a flower from three to 
six inches across, of a bright red and sometimes red and white 
color, grows in profusion. Hedges are often made of the 
hibiscus, and when in bloom it offers a superior floral scene. 
There is no end to flowers in Fiji. 

"Oh, mamma! Look at the black bobbies!" (policemen) 
roared a young Britisher when he first saw the Fiji police. 
The guardians of peace in Fiji are termed constabularj^ and 
natives compose the force. They wear a bushy head of hair, as 
does the civilian native, have bare feet and polished legs. Their 
uniform is a blue jacket, or tunic, and white sulu (a kilt), the 
latter scalloped or vandyked round the edges. Natives prefer 
police duty or soldiering to all other work. Unlike the Zulu, 



204 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

he scorns domestic service, and field labor does not appeal to 
him. A bright red hibiscus, or another flower of flaring hue, 
may be seen sticking in his hair at the side. Thus the Suva 
policeman looks neat, and is certainly noticeable. 

The best building in Suva is a library, donated by a Scotch 
philanthropist. It is built of cement. Little can be said of 
the government buildings; yet in this small place is a botanical 
garden large cities vi^ould be proud of. 

Copra (dried cocoanut) is shipped in considerable quantities 
from Suva. Brought from .adjacent islands in small sailing 
boats, it is loaded on vessels at the capital port. A cocoanut 
tree produces a dollar's worth of copra yearly. Forty trees 
is the number generally planted to the acre. Eight years' time 
is required from planting until bearing. The trees require 
very little care, and, if not blown down by storms, will yield 
for a hundred years. 

It is marvelous to what uses the cocoanut tree and its fruit 
can be put. Besides being a staple food of natives, the pulp, 
together with cocanut oil, is made into cakes for cattle, par- 
ticularly dairy cows. The pulp contains 40 per cent, nutriment, 
and both increased quantity and richness of milk result when a 
cow is fed with these cakes. There is a demand for this food 
in Australia. Soap is also made of the cocoanut, together with 
candies, and preparations for cooking purposes claim a large 
portion of the product. The coir, or fibers, and cocoanut leaves 
are used to make mats, baskets, scrub brushes, brooms, fans, 
pillows, for thatching houses, making rope and twine, and in 
many other ways the cocoanut tree and its product serve as 
articles of utility. 

The Fijian believes that the food that tickles his palate 
should also be relished by the white man. When one stops at 
a native's home it would be better to forget for the time being 
that he is a white. Fijians are very hospitable, and share with 
a v/hite visitor the best they have. It makes no difference how 
the native food may look, smell or taste, if a white man re- 
fuses to partake of the hospitality offered the native will be 
offended. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 205 

From 40,000 to 50,000 Indian coolies live in these rich is- 
lands, most of whom work in the sugar-cane fields. Then 
there are what is known as the Solomon Island " boys," in con- 
siderable numbers in Fiji, engaged at the same work. The 
Fijian will not do hard work if he has a chance to run away. 
Indians are brought to Fiji under the indenture system for a 
term of five years. At the end of the indentureship, though, 
they may remain in Fiji. Herein a similar blunder was made 
in Natal, South Africa. Indians will eventually own the sec- 
tions of Fiji worth having; then natives, white men, and all 
others will have no chance to make a living. 

Some 500 lepers are detained on one island ; but there was no 
leprosy in Fiji, nor other bad diseases affecting the group before 
Indians were imported to work in the sugar fields. From six 
to ten Indians are hanged here every month ; but there were 
very few hangings before Indians came. When sending out 
packs of indentured coolies the Indian government apportions 
one woman to three men ; this may explain the monthly hang- 
ings. 

" Everybody in town knows what's in the papers before they* 
come out," remarked a resident when speaking of the Suva 
newspapers. Two are printed in the Fiji capital, each appear- 
ing three times a week. As editions appear on alternate days, 
Suva enjoj^s the luxury of a daily. Business men seem to be 
well satisfied with the publishers' efforts, for, out of 28 columns 
contained in each of the tri-weeklies, 20 columns were advertise- 
ments. Considering population, high cable charges, etc., Suva's 
newspapers outstrip anything we can recall; they sell at six 
cents a copy. 

All natives go to church on Sunday morning. Each one has 
a Bible or hymn book carefully wrapped in a cloth or paper. 
Men and women are dressed in their best, the men mostly in 
white jackets and sulus (kilts), wearing vari-colored neckwear. 
Women wear cheap picture hats or go bareheaded. With the 
latter style go fronds of delicate ferns, artistically woven in 
the hair, or plaited together along with a pretty hibiscus or 
other flaring flower. The natives not only look attractive, but 



2o6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

their demeanor commands respect. Their singing is of fair 
quality, and they put their heart in their efforts. 

The English money system — shillings and pounds — is the 
one in use in the Fiji group. Hotel expenses were $2 to $3 a 
day. 

All barriers and shoals in the sea in that part of the world 
are termed coral reefs. Beautiful specimens are brought to the 
steamships by natives to sell to passengers. The natural color 
of the coral is brown, which becomes white when bleached in 
the sun. Then there are big shells that are beauties — some 
so large they could not go in a water pail. One variety of pearl 
shell — cici — found in the vicinity of Suva has developed into 
quite an industry. A ton weight of these sell from $125 to 
$150. They are as large as a goose egg. The Fijian dives 
for these among the reefs, a kind of work that suits him to a 
T. These shells are shipped to pearl merchants in China. 

On the island of Mbau, situated not far from Suva, is the 
ancient capital of Fiji, where all who may be termed aristo- 
cratic in Fiji live. It was here the last king, Cakobau the 
Terrible, lived, died and was buried. Kandavu Levu, the 
greatest of the Fijian lords and the grandson of Cakobau, now 
lives in the old cannibal king's stronghold. He receives a 
pension from the British government. The Fijian princess, 
Andi Cakobau, the grand-daughter of King Cakobau, is also 
among the high-bred Fijian residents at Mbau. 

Sixty miles further a stop was made at Levuka, on the island 
of Ovalau, as pretty a settlement as one could wish to see. 
Only 250 Europeans live in this place, but all seemed pros- 
perous. These are mostly traders, and it would surprise one 
to see the varied assortment of goods in the stores. Roofs of 
houses are painted red, and the residences are surrounded by 
cocoanut palms, papaw trees, and bananas. There are flowers 
everywhere — even the shrubbery bears flowers. 

A short distance from Levuka we came to a native village. 
Between the front rows of huts was a street, 150 feet wide, 
covered with grass. On visiting one of the huts, the husband 
pointed to a bed, which consisted of a dozen mats piled on the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 207 

floor, inviting me to sit down. A moment later he bethought 
himself of the baby sleeping in the part of the bed where he 
had invited me to sit. He pointed to a little mound under the 
mats, laughed, and indicated that I sit in another place. Scan- 
ning the tidy enclosure, to my surprise, a large picture of Jef- 
fries, the ex-prizefighter, hung from one side. It pleased the 
native to see the interest I took in the poster, for he laughed 
aloud, and, pointing to it, said something that sounded like 
"Ugh!" 

Visiting another hut, it was also found very neat, the floor 
being covered with cocoanut mats ; the mat bed was the visitor's 
seat here also. This Fijian could speak no English, and we 
had not been long enough in the islands to acquire a speaking 
knowledge of the native language. At our approach the wife 
came to the center of the hut, but a few moments later, much 
to our surprise, she sat on the floor and began turning a handle 
to an American-made hand sewing machine that rested on a 
soap box. 

It is possible for a Fijian to march 40 miles a day, heavily 
loaded, without food; but sometimes he takes twelve hours to 
travel only twelve miles, and eats half a dozen big meals during 
the journey. He is said to have a more pronounced weakness 
for yanggona, the native liquor, than have any other of the 
South Sea Islanders. This beverage is made from the root of 
a tree and, when drunk to excess, intoxicates. Each native 
must pay a yearly government tax of $5. 

So that the reader may gather some idea of the scope of the 
planet on which we live, it may be of interest to note, before 
leaving Levuka, that this small port is located 11 hours and 
59 minutes east of Greenwich, England, from which point the 
time of the world is computed. 



CHAPTER IV 

Traveling through still, blue-water channels, resembling 
wide esplanades, if the term be allowed, formed by heavily 
verdured tropical islands on each side, with curly coral reefs 
peeping out of the sea from time to time, we sailed for 150 
miles through what may be termed an ocean park, when the 
ship entered the Koro Sea, and two days later reached the 
Samoan Islands. Sixty miles east of Levuka we crossed the 
line of the i8oth meridian, where time changes 12 hours. 

A red stream of lava, running from the mouth of a volcano 
down a mountain course 15 miles in length, and emptying into 
the sea, is a strange phenomenon. This volcano is located on 
the island of Savaii, the largest of the Samoan group. The dis- 
tance from the shore to the mouth of the crater is seven miles, 
but the circuitous course of the stream is double the direct dis- 
tance. The volcano burst into activity in 1905, and a fore- 
shore of lava a quarter of a mile in extent bears evidence of the 
crater's outpourings since that time. In daytime the molten 
stream is white, and at night it resembles a great flaring serpent 
as it angles its Avay about rocky obstructions down the mountain- 
side to the sea. Not far from the shore the lava bored a 
tunnel through a hillock that interfered for a time with its 
flow, and day and night the stream is red when passing through 
that opening. The cloud of steam that rises as the lava enters 
the water resembles a great volume of spray from a large water- 
fall. It is said the sea is a mile deep where this lava stream 
empties into the Pacific Ocean. Ships stop opposite the crater 
to allow passengers to view this unusual spectacle. 

Passing through a coral reef channel, we arrived in the 
harbor of Apia, capital of the Samoan Islands. The little 
town stretches along the bay, cocoanut palms lining the shore 
at places, the trees and heavily verdured hills in the foreground 

208 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 209 

giving the Samoan capital a high position in the list of pretty 
places. The ship was soon surrounded by natives, who offered 
for sale fans, shells, corals, beads and flowers. 

The Samoan is the native aristocrat of all peoples. In bear- 
ing, looks, manners, tidiness, hospitality and pride he leads the 
world. He is the Polynesian, together with the Maori, the 
Tongan (Friendly Islander), the Kanaka (of Hawaii), and 
other tribes living on some of the South Pacific islands. The 
Samoans number 40,000, about 500 Europeans living in the 
group. 

If one should reach Apia on Sunday he would be apt to find 
the hair on the heads of a majority of men a yellow and reddish 
color; and were one to stop at the same port on a Tuesday or 
Wednesday the hair would be black, the natural color. Coral 
lime will change the color of hair in two or three days, when he 
puts on his best lava-lava (kilt; sulu in Fiji), the light-colored 
hair indicating he is dressed up. The hair is straight, and 
worn brushed back. The lava-lava is often a bath towel with 
red stripes. From his waist up he is bare, and he wears no 
shoes. From waist-line to the cap of the knee he is tattooed. 
His skin is a gold-bronze color, and he walks with a princely 
step, but not a swagger stride. Natives are of good size, but 
not so strongly built as the Zulus. 

Samoan women are noted for their beauty, and their comeli- 
ness measures up to this coveted distinction not only among the 
South Sea Islands races, but of native races of the world. They 
wear the lava-lava, as the men, together with a loose-fitting 
waist, with short, loose sleeves. Wrappers, however, are some- 
times worn. The clothing worn on the islands is made with 
the object of affording comfort. The hair generally presents 
a tidy appearance. Flowers, ferns or leaves are often seen 
deftly placed in the folds of the thick black hair of Samoan 
women, which usually shines from a liberal application of cocoa- 
nut oil. Garlands, worn about the neck, also play a part in 
their dress. These are sometimes composed of orange blossoms, 
buds of other flowers, berry-like seeds from trees, small sea- 
shells, pits from certain fruits, or of pieces of bone resembling 



2IO SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

teeth of wild beasts. As a rule, their expressions are pleasing, 
and they have a healthy appearance. Some wear sandals, but 
most natives are in their bare feet. As with the wearing ap- 
parel of most races, the lava-lavas and waists are not all of the 
same color, but vary according to the fancy of the wearer; and 
the seed of fancy and caprice seems to be implanted in the 
hearts of women of all races, as manifested not only by the 
different colors of the lava-lava, but also by the patterns of 
silks, sealskins, feathers, and precious stones, as the case may be. 

These natives are too proud to unload ships, so Nieu " boys," 
natives from the Savage Islands, are carried from port to port 
to do the work. Each Samoan owns a small piece of land, and 
the copra, cocoa, bananas and other tropical products from this 
amply supply his needs. 

When eating in a Samoan's hut a mat is spread for the visitor 
to sit on. Another mat is placed before the visitor, which might 
be termed a tablecloth. A banana-leaf plate, placed on the 
second mat, may contain a baked fish or perhaps a pigeon. 
Still another dinner mat, with a banana-leaf plate, contains 
greens, the taro leaf, and cocoanut cream; then there may be a 
third course, with mat and " plate," containing a native delicacy. 
The native beverage, kava, is served in a cocoanut shell by one 
of the daughters. All the while chatting is going on and com- 
pliments paid the visitor by the family through an interpreter, 
if one cannot speak their language. Sipping liquid is not a 
custom in Samoa; but swallowing whatever is offered in the 
nature of drink at one gulp, and then sending the cup spinning 
back across the mat to the person who served it, is proper. 
One is supposed to sit cross-legged on a mat during the meal. 

Most of the natives seemed to own a horse and buggy, and 
no signs of poverty are apparent. People are in no hurry in 
Samoa, which may account for the term, " The land of delicious 
idleness." The weather is hot, never below 90 degrees in the 
shade, and hovers about the lOO mark. The temperature does 
not vary 10 degrees all the year round. 

For miles around Apia Is a great botanical garden. It is 
said the best cocoanut palms grow in Samoa; bananas grow as 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 211 

prolific as weeds; the broad-leafed cocoa tree, with its large, 
purple-covered pods, covers large areas; the papaw, or mummy 
apple, is seen at every turn; coffee bushes are a luxurious 
growth; pineapples, mango trees, breadfruit trees, with broad 
leaves and rough skin — any tree or plant that grows in the 
tropics may be found in Samoa. The exports from that port 
are chiefly copra and cocoa. Samoa is the only place in the 
South Sea Islands where cocoa trees will thrive. 

Nobody locks doors at night, and nothing is ever taken 
from huts. Calling on an acquaintance who kept a general 
store, we found the place filled with Samoans — not room 
enough to move. He had occasion to step to the rear for some 
article called for, leaving the goods, which were piled up on the 
counters, to the mercy of the natives, and much floor space was 
taken up with merchandise, too. After the customers had left 
the store, the storekeeper was asked if he did not fear that his 
goods would be taken while he was at the rear of the building. 
" If I had turned around while walking from the front to the 
rear of the store," he explained, " something would have been 
missing, for I would have offended their sense of honesty, but by 
giving no sign of suspicion — trusting them — had I remained 
away an hour everything in the place would be, on my return, 
as it was when I went away." 

Samoans are a religious race. On Sundays the streets are 
crowded with natives dressed in highly-colored lava-lavas, each 
carrying a Bible and hymn book. They are good singers. 

Only a few miles from Apia, Robert Louis Stevenson, the 
novelist, lived and died. On Mount Vaca, rising a thousand 
feet above Apia, his remains lie, and a portion of the tomb may 
be seen through the thick foliage when sailing into the harbor. 
His home, " Vailima," is now the residence of the Governor- 
General. 

" Talofa " is the passing salute in Samoa, which, translated, 
is " My love to you." " Tofa " is the parting word on leaving 
a Samoan home, meaning " good-b3^" 

Foreign labor is imported to work on plantations, as the 
natives cannot be depended upon; Chinamen are generally em- 



212 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

ployed. And what an improvement the Chinaman is on the 
Indian coolie! 

The Samoan is a fatalist. If the idea comes into his head 
that he is going to die no power on earth will keep him alive. 
He gives right up, lies down on the ground, in a boat, or 
wherever he may be — just makes up his mind that his time has 
come. 

A Samoan chief dressed in war regalia is an object of in- 
terest. His well shaped head, covered with a heavy growth of 
black hair brushed back and glossy from applications of cocoa- 
nut oil, rests on a stocky neck. The face is round, complexion 
bronze, and he generally wears a mustache. In addition to a 
necklace, thickly studded with polished, round, sharp-pointed 
pieces of bone, several inches in length, which encircles the neck, 
a loop of stout cord, ornamented with larger and rougher pieces 
of bone, resting on the shoulders and extending to below the 
chest, is worn. Save for the necklace and loop, the warrior is 
bare to his waist. From waistline to between knee and ankle 
he is covered with a bulky kilt — often made of bark cloth — 
this being embellished with fringe, tassels and ribbon woven 
from tropical fibers. Plump, but not fat, he stands about 5 
feet 6 inches. A rifle is a fighting feature of the chief's equip- 
ment, and, like most Samoans, is in bare feet. 

Elephantiasis makes its appearance in Samoa, and natives 
with legs swollen to the proportion of an elephant's may be 
seen walking any time at a slow, shuffling gait, about the islands. 
This disease occurs more often in tropical sea sections, and is 
believed to be caused by a blood parasite. The legs become 
enormously enlarged, due to inflammation of the skin and ob- 
structed circulation of the blood. 

America has adopted a good system of looking after natives' 
copra produced on the islands of Manua and Tutuila, United 
States territory. An officer in charge at Pago-Pago receives the 
goods, weighs it, gives a receipt for the product, and sells when 
the market offers the best price. In the meantime, if the na- 
tive needs money, he can, by applying to the proper officer^ have 




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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 213 

funds advanced to him. When his copra is sold, he is paid the 
full price. 

The huts or homes of the Samoans, circular in form, are the 
best built of those of any native races. From a heavy center 
upright beam, 12 to 16 feet in length, scantlings extend to a 
circular support, which rests on posts three feet high. The roof, 
composed of cocoanut palm leaves, is secured to breadfruit wood 
scantlings. Palm-leaf curtains, the width of the space from 
post to post, are attached to the circular timber. During the 
day the shades are raised all round, allowing air to pass through, 
and at night they are lowered. As an additional means of 
cooling the home, a strip of pebbles, two feet wide, extends 
around the hut, mats covering the floor space each side of the 
circle of small stones. The bed is composed of half a dozen 
to a dozen cocoanut-leaf mats, four feet vi^ide and six feet in 
length, and white cotton sheets, laid on the floor. In the morn- 
ing the bedding is rolled together, placed on poles above, and 
taken down at bedtime. As chairs do not figure in the fur- 
nishing of a Samoan home, a leaf mat is used as a seat. 

Though Samoans will not unload ships, they have no objec- 
tion to washing clothes. They board vessels in the harbor and 
solicit laundry work, charging eight cents apiece. For a white 
suit of drill they charge only eight cents, a pair of socks or a 
collar costing the same. 

On a sailing ship, and on a naval cutter plying between Pago- 
Pago and Apia (both seen here), also on a schooner at Dunedin, 
N. Z,, were the only instances since leaving New York when 
the Stars and Stripes was observed flying from vessels. 

Upolu Island, on which Apia is located, is second in area 
to Savaii, being 38 miles long and 12 wide, Samoa is one 
place in the Southern Pacific Ocean that Abel Tasman was 
not the first to set eyes on, this group being discovered by Cap- 
tain Roggeville, in 1721. 

We reached Apia on a Sydney Sunday (Eastern time), which 
was Saturday in Apia (Western time). Naturally, Sydney's 
Monday was Apia's Sunday, so we had two Saturdays and 



214 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

two Sundays that week. It is difficult for the layman to under- 
stand how twelve hours can make a day, as we appeared to 
lose one after crossing the line of the i8oth meridian from east 
to west. 

A weekly newspaper of 48 columns, 25 of these advertise- 
ments, is published in Apia. Only 200 Europeans live in the 
town, yet a newspaper of that size appears to flourish. 

The American consul called at the ship one evening in tropical 
evening dress to have a chat with the American passengers — 
four in number. He asked the captain of the vessel, who was 
a Britisher, to blow his whistle three times on sailing out of 
the harbor, when he would acknowledge the salute by lowering 
the flag on the staff at the consulate. The captain kept his 
word, the following day, but the flag did not move. There is 
nothing strange about such forgetfulness, however, for the con- 
sulate is located in " The Land of Delicious Idleness." 



CHAPTER V 

We will now say " Tofa " to that splendid race and their 
pretty islands and make a start for Tonga, when the day 
" lost " will be reclaimed, as we recross the i8oth meridian. 
The captain did not turn back the ship's clock here, but kept 
the Sydney time. 

Passing between two prominent stone walls, we entered the 
harbor of Vavau, Tonga, another group of the South Sea Is- 
lands. This group appears on some maps as the Friendly 
Islands. Abel Tasman, who discovered so many countries be- 
fore any one else, but allowed others to claim what he first saw, 
discovered the Tongan group in 1643. Over a hundred years 
later Captain James Cook, the explorer, made three visits to 
these islands, before and after he had planted the British flag 
on Australia and New Zealand. The Tongans have always 
had self-government, but the group is under the protection of 
the British. The native ruling power is King George Tubou 
II. Parliament consists of 32 elected representatives and an 
equal number of hereditary chiefs, all of native birth. The 
islands also boast a Prime Minister, a Chancellor of the Ex- 
chequer, a Chief Justice and other high officials. 

King George Tubou II., at the opening of Parliament, 
wears a European court suit, a gold and jeweled crown, and 
a long mantle of crimson velvet trimmed with ermine, which 
is supported by two boys attired in tights, trunks, and feathered 
caps, while the king's soldiers line the highway along which 
the royal procession marches. To maintain that standard of 
royalty the natives are taxed $10 each a year, with maturity 
age at 16. The native head tax in Fiji is $5, and in Samoa $3, 
so the Tongan pays highly for the royal atmosphere he breathes. 

The harbor of Vavau is the prettiest we have seen, but it 

215 



2i6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

would not be advisable to make that statement in Sydney, Aus- 
tralia. While the striking panorama offered by Sydney's is 
absent here, Nature's lavish tropical adornment offsets that fea- 
ture, wrought mainly by the hand of man, in the former. For 
seven miles, from the imposing Heads to the small town at the 
other end, the shores are studded with cocoanut palms, and the 
bay is beautifully bedecked with small and pretty islands, thickly 
verdured with a moistened growth, the fronds of the cocoanut 
palm and leaves of the banana bush growing on these dipping 
their points into the still, mirror-like blue water from every 
side. Smaller vegetation grows upward for a time, but later 
yields to the seductiveness of the clear, calm, coral-reflected 
water, when the bright, tender tips of these become fondled, as 
it were, by the gentle ripples, adding more attractiveness to 
this unusual scene of natural beauty. These islands would re- 
mind one of a flower-pot overgrown with drooping ferns. The 
vessel is pointed straight, then veers, when the foliage of one 
of these green barriers seems almost to brush the water-line of 
the ship. After a turn in another direction, the course is 
straight again for a short distance. Another of these pretty 
islands is seen just ahead, when the vessel slants and seem to 
barely miss caressing the foliage drooping into the water. All 
the while the palm-studded shore maintains its most pronounced 
beauty. Traveling through Vavau harbor is like sailing 
through an enchanted botanical garden. 

" Malolelei," the word a visitor first hears from a Tongan, 
is " Good day " in the native language. One soon asks another 
who knows how to pronounce the word to teach him the ver- 
nacular, for the salute is supposed to be returned. Every one 
says " Malolelei." 

The Tongan is very friendly to the whites, which explains 
how the name " Friendly Islands " came to be applied to the 
Tongan group. Mariners, in early days, when shipwrecked on 
the shores of these islands, were killed, cut up, and made stew 
of. But nowadays they would be fed, housed and receive any 
and every attention that would make their misfortune easier 
to bear. Were a white man known to be in need, every native 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 217 

would feel it his duty to help relieve him. Each would bring 
with him food, and if the hungry man could eat all that was 
brought to him he might live to be as old as Methuselah with- 
out worrying about money to pay his board bill. 

" The Sun is dead ! " was the term used by the natives to 
describe a total eclipse of the sun that took place while traveling 
through the South Sea section of the journey. The words were 
spoken in a solemn tone, and it was amusing to note the differ- 
ence in their voices and faces when, the eclipse being over, they 
shouted, " The Sun is alive again ! " 

Little of interest is to be seen at Vavau, as only 60 white 
persons live here, most of them traders. Native meat is scarce, 
as practically no grain or potatoes grow in tropical countries, 
so European food staples have to be imported to the islands of 
the South Seas. As an offset for these importations, bananas, 
copra and pineapples are exported to either Auckland or Sydney. 

" Good-by to chops and juicy steaks — canned meat for you 
henceforth" — were the parting words an Australian re- 
ceived who left the ship at a Tongan port. He had decided 
to make his home in Tonga, and no person would feel the loss 
of a mutton chop more keenly than an Australian. 

We again sail through Vavau 's botanical harbor, and next 
stop at Haapai, a port on another island of the group. Travel- 
ing from South Sea ports, the deck of a ship is crowded with 
natives, whose bodies shine with cocoanut oil, and all have 
cocoanut palm leaf baskets and banana-leaf plates. Sometimes 
a piece of purple-colored taro is bitten off and eaten, or a dozen 
cocoanuts are tilted and natives drink the liquid ; then a whole 
orange may be forced inside the mouth, when a series of prying 
with the fingers takes place, causing contortions of the face, in 
the effort to squeeze out the juice, when the caved-in orange 
will be withdrawn and thrown away. All are bareheaded, 
wearing vari-colored kilts and waists, and everybody happy and 
seemingly well fed. A feature of the Tongan 's " luggage " is 
the great quantity of food each brings with him. They have 
good faces, but are not up to the general appearance of the 
Samoan. 



2i8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The shore on which the little town of Haapai is built is a 
picture. Lined with an unbroken row of cocoanut palms, as 
far as one could see over the tops of these there was no other 
growth. Coral reefs are very pretty here, and tiny bright blue 
fish dart like butterflies from caves in the reefs and in turquoise- 
blue pools. At some places the bottom of the sea is like a 
garden, as growing therefrom is peculiar colored seaweed, 
striped and spotted shells being numerous. 

Tonga homes cannot compare with those of Samoa. They 
are hayrick shaped, seldom have a window, and two doors gen- 
erally lead to the inside. The floors are covered with cocoanut- 
leaf mats, and the beds are of mats of the same material. A 
lantern is used to light their huts at night; the oil burned in 
these comes from the United States. A big circular wooden 
bowl, with legs cut from the heart of a large tree, used to mix 
the native drink in, is another important utensil in the Tongan 
home; the bottom is of a slaty-blue color. Cocoanut-shell cups 
figure prominently in native utensils. Some Tongans, how- 
ever, live in frame houses, roofed with iron. 

A native drink, known as kava, is universally used through- 
out the islands of the South Pacific Ocean. The drink is made 
from the root of a shrub, which is sometimes pounded into small 
pieces with stones, but of late years graters have been used ; and 
coffee-grinders serve the purpose still better. Gratings from 
the root are placed in the wooden bowl, and water is poured on 
these. The coarser grounds are strained from the kava by grass 
or fibers from the bark of certain shrubs or trees. A European 
would have to acquire a liking for this native drink, as at first 
it tastes like a mixture of soapsuds and ginger. When drunk 
to excess it does not affect the head, but the legs become para- 
lyzed for a few hours; blindness also follows its abuse. Kava 
is served in cocanut cups. 

Tongans number but 21,000, and all belong to some religious 
denomination. Church collections are taken only once a year. 
The " basket " is never passed for contributions. A wooden 
bowl or a galvanized kettle is placed under the pulpit, and each 
goes forward and puts his contribution in the " box." A ma- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 219 

jority, 18,000 out of the 21,000, are identified with the 
Wesleyan Church, and this number contributes the sum of $25,- 
000 a year. They build their own churches and give their 
services free. Few nails are used in these buildings, the timbers 
being secured by coir, or cinnet. If the wood be dark, the 
brown fibers of the cocoanut are dyed the color of the wood 
that is to be lashed. The cinnet lashing seen in the church 
buildings is splendidly done, and often resembles carving. The 
Tongans hold their churches in much reverence. At some frame 
houses in the towns is seen a round galvanized tank to hold 
rain water running from the roof. However, they consider it 
sacrilege to conserve the water running from the roof of a 
church. 

A traveling acquaintance who had lived in Tonga for years 
was asked if white people locked their doors at night. " Yes," 
he replied, "the kitchen door — to keep the cats out." 

Poverty is unknown here, as are jails. Each Tongan has 
834 acres of land, and the copra from that area not only fur- 
nishes sufficient money to buy what is needed but allows a 
small surplus besides. 

Not one murder has taken place in the group in over 20 
years, and then a white man was mixed up in it. This will 
seem more remarkable when it is remembered that almost every 
native carries a big knife, with which to shuck cocoanuts and 
cut the stems of bananas. But two races live in Tonga — 300 
whites and the balance Tongans. 

One hundred islands compose this group, Tongatabu, on 
which the capital is built, being the largest and most important. 
That island is 20 miles long and 12 miles wide. 

Nukualofa, the capital, our next stop, is 1,100 miles from 
Auckland, New Zealand. Europeans there do not exceed 75 
persons, but the native population is comparatively large. The 
King's palace and the Chapel Royal are the most conspicuous 
buildmgs in the town. A royal guard, consisting of half a 
dozen brown-skinned soldiers, dressed in scarlet coats, see that 
their king nor his property are molested. The king is a man of 
striking appearance, six feet four inches in height, very stout, 



220 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

and in the forties. The line of succession in Tonga passes 
through the mother, not the father. King George Tubou 
II. 's salary is $10,000 a year. The Tonga group is the only 
independent kingdom now left in the Pacific. 

Grass grows everywhere in Nukualofa, including the streets. 
A buggy, drawn by a small, woolly horse, may pass half a 
dozen times a day along the main streets, or a native on horse- 
back, with a flaring-colored shirt, may create a little temporary 
excitement occasionally dashing along a thoroughfare as fast 
as the horse's legs can carry him. Children do not appear to 
quarrel, roosters seemed to be imbued with the spirit of peace, 
and the weather is generally too hot for dogs to have a fall 
out; so one going to Nukualofa with distracted nerves is apt to 
feel stronger after a stay in the Tongan capital. To borrow 
from Samoa, it is another " land of delicious idleness." 

It is in places of this character where one comes across British 
ne'er-do-wells, or " remittance men," as they are termed. 
These are sent from Great Britain by wealthy parents to iso- 
lated places like Tonga and Fiji, and a certain sum of money is 
sent them each month — enough to pay their board and a little 
over for spending money. They are too far away to disgrace 
the family, and it is cheaper to pay their expenses in far-off 
countries than it would be to support them at home. They are 
virtually prisoners in these out-of-the-way places, for they soon 
get in debt, and no one owing money can leave the islands. 
These men generally marry a native woman, drink all the 
whisky and soda they can get, and the wife's income from her 
cocoanut farm provides for the home. 

Consumption is making inroads among this splendid race of 
natives. Some discard their native clothes and wear European 
apparel ; they then live in a house instead of a hut, which is un- 
natural; but, worst of all, they cease to rub themselves with 
cocoanut oil, and in other ways neglect the customs of their 
ancestors. The native mode of living is much the better for 
the native. European customs do not seem to agree with col- 
ored races. It is the same with all native races — when they 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 221 

come in contact with the white man they generally go down 
hill. 

Some of the prettiest trees in the world are to be seen in 
Nukualofa. They do not grow high, but their spread is so 
wide and the outlines of the limbs so regular that one never 
forgets them. 

Flying foxes — large bats, or vampires — are sacred animals 
to the Tongan. Some distance from Nukualofa is a grove of 
large trees, and in the daytime thousands of the bats will be 
hanging from the limbs by their claws, heads down. At sunset 
they all wake up and fly over the island and make raids on fruit 
plantations. At sunrise they will return to the same grove 
and hang downward all day. These bats are as large as cats, 
with furry bodies, and the native believes something terrible 
would happen were he to kill one. 

Tongans are more advanced, intellectually, than any of the 
South Sea races, not excepting the Maori, who is of the same 
race. A college in Nukualofa is well attended by natives. 

Kaikai is the name of food in the South Sea Islands, as it is 
also in New Zealand. 

Tongan women do not work like those of other South Sea 
Islands races. The men say it makes women ugly to work all 
day in the sun, and they prefer their wives to be good-looking 
and good-natured. Men even do the larger share of the house- 
work. 

White drill clothes are worn by all Europeans in Tonga, 
and every man has a tropical evening dress suit. The suit 
shows a wide spread of white shirt, generally starched, and 
high collar. Vests and trousers are white. The coat is a 
jacket, however, that stops a trifle below the waist line. At the 
back the jacket comes to a point. It is like a ship steward's 
jacket. 

" Teddy Bears " are as universal as American oil and Ameri- 
can sewing-machines. In any part of the world one may ob- 
serve European children with " Teddies " in their hands. 

Europeans living in the tropics become so enervated that 



222 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

such a thing as failing to keep an appointment is thought noth- 
ing of. The blood becomes thin, and the easy life they live 
practically unfits them for work they would be called on to do 
in a cooler climate. Then, again, they are looked up to in the 
sparsely settled white communities, and when they return to 
the Northland and practically become nonentities they pain- 
fully miss the pampering they received from natives. Most of 
these would prefer to live a sickly life in the tropics to a 
healthful one, contingent on hard work, in their native land. 
It is hard to rise above the pressure of environment. 

We are about to start on Leg Five, but before doing so we 
wish to explain our divergence of travel in Australasia. On 
reaching Melbourne from Perth a day's time was all that was 
spent in the city at that time. We went to Tasmania, New 
Zealand, and then to Sydney. From New South Wales we 
started on the South Sea Islands trip. From Nukualofa we 
journeyed to Auckland, our second time in that city. Re- 
crossing the Tasman Sea to Sydney, we journeyed to Melbourne 
by rail, the second time also we were in that city. Stopping 
there but a few hours, a start was made for Adelaide; then 
from Adelaide to Ballarat, and back to Melbourne, where some 
time was spent, from which port we sailed on our return trip 
to South Africa, and from which place we start Leg Five. 



LEG FIVE 



CHAPTER I 

For the first time in my travels I had to be content with 
third-class steamship accommodation. I knew the South Sea 
Islands trip would shrivel my pocketbook, and would not have 
been disappointed had I not enough money to buy even a third- 
class ticket to South Africa. We took a chance on the South 
Sea Islands trip — and won. " Steerage," in big red type, was 
stamped on the steamship ticket that carried me from Mel- 
bourne to South Africa, but all passengers were on an equality, 
as there was but one grade of accommodation — third. 

Supper was the first meal on board, but no tea or cofFee was 
served. The absence of these " luxuries " was explained later, 
passengers being informed that tea or coffee was provided only 
once daily — at breakfast time. At the first morning meal a 
hubbub took place among mothers with babes. Something was 
wrong with the milk, and when that matter had also been ex- 
plained we learned that sea water — salt water — had been 
used, instead of fresh water, to dilute the condensed milk. 

The cabins contained from two to ten berths, and as almost 
every one prefers privacy a few dollars more were paid for a 
two-berth cabin, as little sleep could be anticipated were in- 
terests pooled with nine snoring mates. The two-berth cabin 
had no margin to boast of, as, in order for one to get a hand- 
kerchief from his hip pocket, it was necessary to vacate it and 
seek arm-turning space in the hallway. I had a good cabin 
mate, and we soon came to an understanding as to what time 
each of us would visit our quarters. Two could sleep in the 
cabin, but there was not room enough for two to turn in it. 
The pillow — we would not be so rash as to say the slip cov- 
ered a chunk of cement ; it may have been tan bark. The door 
had no lock, neither was there a button to ring up the steward. 

The ship stopped at Hobart, took on 30,000 cases of apples, 

225 



226 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

and headed for Albany, West Australia. The tea merchants in 
the Tasmania capital did a good business for the time being, 
as passengers who, before starting, knew nothing of the rules 
of the ship concerning tea and coffee allowances laid in here a 
good supply, together with preserves, crackers, Chinese napkins 
and other necessities the ship did not furnish. 

Ninety dollars for eight weeks' travel is surely giving pas- 
sengers a cheap journey. The vessel sailed from Sydney the 
first week in June, reaching her destination, London, England, 
about the first of August, after a voyage of 14,000 miles. Three 
hundred persons had booked passage on the liner, and of that 
number there was not one foreign-speaking passenger aboard. 
This will seem strange when it is borne in mind that the most 
cosmopolitan place in the world is a passenger steamship. Seven 
preachers were included, which, sea tradition says, generally 
augurs for bad weather; but, as there are exceptions to almost 
every rule, we had smooth sailing after clearing the Bight and 
Cape Leeuwin. The " animal " classification of the cargo in- 
cluded birds — canaries, magpies, parrots and cockatoos; also 
a joey, as a young kangaroo is called. This animal was bought 
at Albany by an American, the tariff on the joey to London 
being $10. The freight charge for a canary was 60 cents, and 
rates for larger birds were from 75 cents to $1.25. 

Fruit — generally confined to apples or oranges — was served 
at supper. The apples often seemed nearly as hard as billiard 
balls and as tasteless as frozen turnips. A prosperous Irishman, 
of a ripe age, who had gone to Australia in early days, when 
six months' time was required to make the voyage, was, with 
his aged wife, returning to the Emerald Isle. One evening, 
when we had oranges for supper, after he had bitten into one, 
the Celt was observed going through a series of facial contor- 
tions, with shoulder movements — something after the fashion 
of an agitated Frenchman. " Are the oranges sweet to-night, 
Mr. O'Gorman? " he was asked. " Sweet? " whipped back the 
old Roman, as water dripped from the tear-ducts of his eyes 
and fire snapped from the corners — "Sweet? They're so 
sharup they'd cut your t'roat! " 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 227 

Cake was served Sunday afternoons, and milk, sugar and hot 
water were at the pleasure of passengers, but they had to fur- 
nish their own tea or coffee. The tea and teapot, for instance, 
would be given to the table steward, and he would make the 
tea and serve it at mealtime. A piano added greatly to the en- 
tertainment of the passengers, as concerts were held twice a 
week. Besides, various athletic sports were indulged in. 

The preachers took turns officiating at Sunday services. As 
there were seven of them — the voyage embracing as many 
Sabbaths — each one had an opportunity to keep in practice. 
One of their number, a Scotch Presbyterian, was on his way 
from Australia to his native country for a " holiday." Except 
at mealtime, he could generally be found sitting in a corner of 
the smoking saloon burning up black cigars, as he was a con- 
firmed smoker; he was also a devotee of, and an expert at, the 
game of checkers, or draughts, as that amusement is termed 
in British territory. While no one on the ship had a chance to 
beat him, during the course of a game he would buoy, from 
time to time, the hope entertained by a presumptuous rival of 
lowering the parson's colors with clerical flattery — pretending 
that his opponent had nearly caught him napping on certain 
moves and that the skill of the player was worthy any foeman's 
steel. An Irish Presbyterian also was among the clergymen, 
and he sometimes sat at a table for hours with another pas- 
senger, in tomb-like stillness — playing a game of chess. Chess 
players, as a rule, have a poor opinion of checkers — calling it 
a child's game. The Irish dominie was asked if much skill was 
required to play checkers. " No," was the reply. " Any one 
can learn that game in a week." A short time later, when the 
Scotch preacher was engaged at checkers, and won, as usual, he 
congratulated his opponent on the splendid game he had played. 
" There's a great deal of superfluous talk about checkers — one 
would think that only persons of superior intellect could play 
that game," remarked a passenger to the Scotchman. A sneer 
came over the preacher's face. " I've been playing draughts 
for 30 years and don't know the game yet," he tartly answered. 
" Why," returned the passenger, " a man on this ship said 



228 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

there was nothing to it — that any one could learn the game 
in a week." " Who's the man that said he could learn the 
game of draughts in a week! " he exclaimed, in eloquent tones. 
"Who's the man! Point him out!" He lost control of a 
strong cigar, and every one laughed but the padre. 

Durban was reached 26 days after leaving Melbourne, and 
here I found myself left with only $2 of the $750 with which I 
started for the Antipodes. (Reference to the last paragraph of 
Leg Two and the Itinerary printed at the end of the book will 
explain conditions.) 

On a German ship we took final leave of Durban and South 
Africa, the route being along what is known as the East Coast 
of Africa and across the western end of the Indian Ocean, to 
Bombay, India. Every berth was engaged. New scenes ahead 
bespoke an interesting voyage. America was well represented 
among the passengers, as there were eight — five missionaries, 
two theatrical men and a printer. 

A day's sail along the flat coast of Zululand and Tongaland 
and southern Portuguese-East Africa found us in Lourenzo 
Marques, the capital of Portuguese-East Africa. Seldom is the 
name Lourenzo Marques heard in this part of the world. 
** Delagoa Bay " is used 99 times out of 100 when speaking of 
that East Coast capital. Mention was made in the few Lisbon 
notes of the white and gray paving used in that city, and the 
same kind of pavement in Lourenzo Marques brings one's mind 
back to the Portuguese capital, particularly " Rolling Motion 
Square." The white population of Portuguese-East Africa is 
small considering the large territory embraced in that colony, 
Europeans numbering only 3,000. Public buildings do not 
make much of a showing, a good harbor and docks being the 
city's chief assets. Street car and electric light systems, a sea- 
side resort and high prices are some of the characteristics of 
Lourenzo Marques. Natives are very numerous, and African 
fever — a notorious feature of this place — is so prevalent that 
all the white residents have a veiny, sickly appearance. 

Fever trees, so called from their sallow appearance, grow not 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 239 

far from here. The leaves droop, are small, thin and lifeless, 
while the bark on the stunted trunks and limbs is scaly. 

Lourenzo Marques, located on Delagoa Bay, is the nearest 
port for the Transvaal, through which most of the machinery 
and supplies for the great mines passed until the consolidation 
of the South African provinces. It was, in short, the chief 
Boer port of South Africa. Were the deaths that occurred 
while building the railroad from here to Pretoria made public 
it would make sad reading. During the stretch of 400 miles 
separating Johannesburg and Lourenzo Marques some of the 
territory traversed is through the worst fever zones in the 
world — even the trees contracting " fever." 

Cruising along to the next port, Inhambane — also Portu- 
guese territory — where the stately cocoanut palm raises its 
bushy head to an admiring distance from the earth, we again 
reach the tropics. Four of the missionaries disembarked — a 
bishop and his wife, and one other couple, who were located 
at a mission station a short distance from this port. 

Three hundred whites live in this treacherous place and 30 
per cent, die each year. The permanent missionary and his 
wife had both been fever victims, and if they fail soon to get 
out of the Inhambane district they will never come out alive. 
The husband is a powerfully built man, and his wife's skin as 
fair as a lily. She would be called pretty. They both had a 
good education, and both were hard workers. The mission- 
ary's predecessor had become " salted," but the bodies of three 
wives were resting under African soil. Black-water fever is 
nearly always certain death. Until a few years ago death was 
as certain after having contracted that form of fever as to one 
who stepped in front of a locomotive traveling at a speed of a 
mile a minute. All liquids drunk by a victim turn black. 

A native was induced to scale a cocoanut tree and knock 
nuts off. Eight tumbled down, and we were charged two cents 
each for them. The cocoanut tree has no season — it blossoms 
and bears the year round. 

Native women loaded and unloaded the ship, and looked 



230 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

stronger than the men. Sugar, copra and peanuts were put on 
at that port. 

The anchor chain winds round the drum, and off we start 
on another run, bringing us to Beira, also in Portuguese terri- 
tory, the port for Rhodesia. The best route to reach Salisbury 
or Bulawayo is from Beira. To the former place it is some 
300 miles, and to Bulawayo nearly 700 miles. 

Venice, Italy, is unique in canals and in the absence of 
vehicular traffic; and Beira may claim some resemblance to the 
Italian city, notably in the absence of carriages, automobiles, 
wagons, motorcycles and street cars. Beira is built on a sand- 
bar, and the means of travel in that place is by vehicles called 
" trolleys," four-wheeled conveyances. The frame is of iron, 
and a foot-rest, seat, back and hood are built on this. It is a 
small carriage on low wheels. The track on which the trolley 
runs is two feet wide, and the rails are one-inch thick. Ties or 
sleepers support these. The "power" to move the "trolley" 
is two natives, who push the vehicle, and push it on the run. 
These natives are dressed in white cotton shirts, with short 
sleeves, and with a lava-lava or kilt made of calico, with big 
spots, which reaches to the knees. Their hat is a red fez with 
tassels, which suggests we have reached the influence of the 
Arab. The "trolley" pusher never runs between the rails — 
always on the one-inch rail. One would think there are grooves 
in his feet to fit in these. The streets are intersected by 
" trolley " tracks, switches being made at places, where 
" trolleys " branch to certain streets. On the main street are 
three tracks, and turntables have been built here and there on 
which to turn the cars around when ready for the return trip. 
They are comfortable to ride in, and most of them are privately 
owned. 

With the exception of a good sea wall, there is little of the 
substantial about Beira — only a few frame buildings, and 
others of corrugated iron. Arab merchants are numerous, and 
where they have become established there is very little money 
for the white man, few modern customs being in evidence. 

One of my cabin mates was a Trappist priest. Born in Ohio, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 231 

he went to Africa in his early years, and had been teaching 
natives for a quarter of a century. He was a chaplain in the 
Boer War, and his intimate knowledge of that interesting coun- 
try was so general as to break set rules for bedtime when listen- 
ing to his experiences. 

The ship's whistle blows and we are off again, traveling 
through what is known as the Mozambique Channel, that 
stretch of water separating Madagascar, a French possession, 
from Portuguese-East Africa. The latter country is 750 miles 
in length and 200 miles wide. The seashore all along is as 
free of ruggedness as the shores of a lake located in a level 
plain. 

Negro melodies and popular airs were reeled off their musical 
instruments by the two Americans at intervals of a few nights 
between. We had a congenial lot of passengers, and every one 
was enjoying the voyage. 

Three more stops were made in Portuguese-East Africa, but 
no enterprise was apparent. Few white people were to be 
seen, while Indians, Arabs and natives were as thick as flies. 
At Ibo, the last stop, the cargo was brought from shore to the 
ship in what are called dhows, with ragged sails, scaly hulks, 
chipped masts, frazzled ropes — the sort of vessels that have 
been used in Asia for 2,000 years. Rubber trees grow in that 
section and, together with copra, comprise the exports. 



CHAPTER II 

Dar-es-Salaam, the capital of German-East Africa, was, 
after leaving Ibo, the next place where the vessel put in. What 
a difference is observable in the make-up and general appearance 
of this German town to those in Portuguese-East Africa ! Some 
very imposing stone and cement buildings, with others under 
construction; good streets, clean surroundings, and a sprinkling 
of white people, were a very welcome change from the poorly 
built and almost totally black-populated places we had left 
behind. 

The railway station, freight cars and locomotives, good 
wharves and paved streets brought to mind old scenes. For 
nearly 800 miles the railroad pierces westward through a black- 
populated and wild-beast inhabited country to the shore of 
Lake Tanganyika, this body of water, 420 miles long and 10 
to 60 miles wide, being the boundary of this German possession 
and the Belgian Congo. Rubber and coffee plantations have 
been laid out, particularly at the western end of the railroad 
line; and from the great native passenger traffic, and bringing 
of supplies to these and to races far beyond the western terminus, 
good returns are assured. The area of this German posses- 
sion is 384,000 square miles. 

Unlike Beira, motor cars and bicycles were in evidence in 
Dar-es-Salaam, but no horses were to be seen, as in Beira. In 
the South African notes mention was made of the miserable 
breed of horse in Durban, also of horses being unable to live 
in some parts of that country. So, on the East Coast of Africa, 
where horses cannot live, and the life of Europeans is measured 
by but a short number of years, there must be something radi- 
cally wrong with the climate. 

Numerous fresh ea:^tb mounds may be seen in graveyards in 

232 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 235 

woman with ornaments in her nostrils, on her ears, arms, hands 
and toes, and the gewgaws worn by native women, are seen at 
every turn. The Parsi, with his cuff-like cap; the Singhalese 
with his long, oily hair and amber haircomb; the Hindu, in 
his big, cloth head-covering; the bewhiskered Arab, wearing a 
fez, and the black, woolly bare head of the native, form an un- 
usual scene on entering the city of Zanzibar. The Waswahili 
are the natives, and the native language of the island, German- 
East Africa, and British-East Africa is the Kiswahili. 

Zanzibar, comprising the island of Pemba, 40 miles to the 
north, is a British possession. The island of Zanzibar is 50 
miles in length and 20 miles wide. These islands are presided 
over by a Sultan, Seyid Khalifa bin Harub, but his ruling has to 
be approved by a British governor-general. He is sultan in 
name only, but his salary is $60,000 a year. The national flag 
is of a plain red color. The Sultan received his education in 
England. 

The streets of the city are so narrow in some instances that 
both sides can almost be touched by the hands extended. 
Houses are built of brick and cement, and one to three stories in 
height. A couple of goats are usually found tied in front of 
buildings, and often a donkey may be seen munching a whisk of 
grass while standing on the steps of a home. A stranger able 
to find his way about Zanzibar must have a pretty level head. 
On entering a street, one has no assurance that the street has an 
opening, for they often end in a solid building across — a " blind 
alley." Doors to the buildings are heavy enough for a jail, and 
the alleys, veiled women, black and suspicious-looking men, 
wearing sandals and strange head-coverings, bespeak Asia. 
Europeans live in another section. 

A very good hospital is pointed out to the visitor, which 
indicates in that part of the world a very large graveyard, 
Zanzibar being regularly visited with smallpox, while malarial 
fever is prevalent and bubonic plague and leprosy common. 

Up to 1897 Zanzibar was one of the most noted slave- 
trading centers in the world. Slaves shipped from that place 
numbered from 6,000 to 10,000 a year. The best building in 



236 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the city is the Sultan's palace, but this has recently been con- 
verted into an office building for Protectorate offi.cials; the Sul- 
tan's harem building, located in a city park, is now used as a 
place of amusement; but, as Arabs own most of the land, and 
also the property in the city, Zanzibar will always remam as 
it is. 

A distance of seven miles, from the city to Bu-bu-bu, com- 
prises the railway system of Zanzibar. The fare is 32 cents 
first-class and 16 cents second-class, the run taking 45 minutes. 
Passing through a street where almost everything is sold — an 
Indian bazaar — one may reach out of the window of the 
railway coach and pull off wearing apparel, shoes, etc., that are 
displayed on rope lines outside of the buildings on the narrow 
street. Through such places the train seems to be walled in by 
blacks on both sides. 

The rupee is in use in Zanzibar, along the coast places, and 
in the interior in that section of the African continent. The 
value of the rupee in American money is 32 cents, and the 
anna two cents. The anna piece is nickel, with a hole in the 
center, and almost every one carries these on a string. It is 
certainly odd to see a man pull from his pocket a string about a 
foot or eighteen inches in length and take from it one to half 
a dozen annas with bored-out centers. 

America was the first country to establish a consulate in 
Zanzibar, in 1836. The natives then took a fancy to our 
bright-colored calico, which they wear to-day, though close 
competition for that trade has taken plaice through other nations 
importing a similar class of goods. 

The sun is very hot here, and flowers are temporarily faded 
by 10 o'clock in the morning. Should a white person walk a 
few feet in the sun bare-headed he would be very apt to fall 
from sunstroke. 

The date palm, a tree 20 to 30 feet high, with a bare trunk, 
as the cocoanut palm, but with smaller limbs and a more spread- 
ing top, grows here. It produces its fruit in bunches, similar 
to the banana plant. Some of the clusters of dates depending 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 237 

from the top will half fill a barrel. A wide leaf grows from 
the stem, to which the dates grow, and in time, the leaf dies 
and then bends. It happens, though, that when it bends it 
cx)vers and thus protects the large cluster of fruit. Zanzibar 
oranges are said to be the sweetest that grow. 

One may hear a few taps on a drum at a corner of an alley 
in the native quarter any time — the signal that there will be a 
dance that evening. 

Automobiles are seen about the city, and an electric light 
plant and a wireless station are among the limited public utilities. 

Clove and cocoanut plantations are the principal industries 
of Zanzibar. The clove tree is of the myrtle family, and the 
older it grows the greater the yield. Practically all the cloves 
used in the world come from the islands of Pemba and Zanzi- 
bar. There are sent to the United States from these islands 
from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 pounds of cloves each year. The 
output for a year is from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 pounds. It 
requires 10 years' time from planting before the clove tree 
blossoms. The Island of Pemba produces 75 per cent, of a 
year's crop. A hurricane blew down the trees growing on Zan- 
zibar island in 1872, while those on Pemba island were not 
disturbed. The Pemba trees are 100 years old, those of Zanzi- 
bar island only 50 years old. They are planted 24 feet apart 
each way, and 100 grow on an acre. 

The clove of commerce is the bud of the clove tree, picked 
before the petals open. The clove we use would be the seed 
of the clove tree were the petals allowed to expand. The buds 
are picked by natives, whose carelessness often destroys bearing 
limbs. When picked, the buds are placed on matting, and re- 
main exposed to the sun for three days, when they become 
dried. A clove tree buds for three months, so this is the clove- 
bud picking period. The tree grows to a height of 30 feet, is 
bushy, with small limbs, on all of which buds grow. The leaf 
of the clove tree resembles that of the English poplar. The 
buds are more numerous on the limbs at intervals of four and 
five years than during the years between. A tree produces from 



238 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

five to seven pounds a year, and the price of cloves range from 
1 6 to 20 cents a pound. Growers have to pay a tax to the 
government of 25 per cent, of their yield. 

When leaving Durban I provided myself with a draft for 
$900 on a bank in Bombay, India, and $50 in cash. From the 
passengers I heard so many interesting things about British 
East Africa that I decided to go inland from Mombasa, if T 
could raise the necessary money on the Bombay draft. Taking 
my passport for identification, I learned from a banker in 
Zanzibar that he could not advance money on the draft, but that 
by cancelling the Durban draft and issuing a new one on the 
same bank in Bombay he could provide me with any funds 
needed. I agreed to that. On receiving the new draft I 
learned that $15 had been taken for exchange. 

Tanga, German East Africa, a sea junction for that part of 
Africa, was our next stop. Passengers going to Europe from 
Durban and other points along the East coast trans-ship to the 
European liners going through the Suez Canal and Port Said. 

A railway from this place pushes westward over 200 miles to 
the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, which rises to a height of over 
19,000 feet. Tanga is another place that puts one in mind of a 
snake charming a bird and then devouring it. Cocoanut palms 
grow every^where, and the pretty trees, frangi-pangi and flowers 
are enough to lure any one there. Yet a walk to the graveyard, 
after observing the large number of unsodded mounds for a 
population of 500, would soon alter one's opinion. The native 
population is I2,000. 

One of the passengers made up his mind not to shave during 
the voyage from Durban to London. The Indian barber is the 
most useful tradesman the world over. He carries his kit with 
him, and is always prowling about for work. He will shave 
a man standing up or lying down ; in the rain or in the sun ; in 
bed or on the roof of a house — any time, any way, or any 
place an Indian barber will do his work. We no sooner stepped 
on shore than the unshaven passenger was picked out as a pos- 
sible " job," and was shadowed by the black knights of the 
razor until he returned to the ship, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 239 

Rubber plantations are numerous in this section of the colony, 
and copra is another of the exports. 

The horse of the East Coast of Africa is really the negro. 
Everything is moved on tv^^o-wheeled trucks, pushed or pulled 
with ropes by natives. No cattle or oxen were seen, so it is 
fair to conclude that neither cattle nor horses can live along 
this section of the coast. Any one can form an idea of what 
a sickly country it must be for human beings where cattle and 
horses cannot exist. Fever runs down the natives, also, but not 
in the same proportion as the whites. 

" The last time we were in Tanga," the ship's doctor re- 
marked on sailing, " I suffered terribly from jumping toothache. 
Fortunate in being in a port where there was a dentist, I 
called at his office and had it pulled. Asking him his charge, 
the dentist replied, 'Seventy-five rupees' ($25)." When my 
eyes again settled in their sockets, having bulged at mention of 
such a fee for pulling a tooth, the doctor, in answer to a ques- 
tion if he did not consider the dentist's charge exorbitant, said 
he was under that impression at the time, but was not so sure 
of it now. " Only a handful of Europeans live here," he 
philosophically went on to explain why he changed his im- 
pression from a positive to an uncertain one, " and fever is 
bad. The dentist — the only one within hundreds of miles — 
as most persons who come to the tropics, aims at making enough 
money in a few years, before fever robs him of his health, to 
take things easy for a while afterward in a good climate. Life, 
Avith a thumping tooth and a pumpkin-like face, was misery to 
me; I could not pull my tooth, and antidotes failed to assuage 
the pain it caused. So, considering the fee from various angles, 
I would not feel quite justified in charging the dentist with un- 
professional conduct." Notwithstanding the doctor's recon- 
ciliation to the dentist's charge, it would seem he " paid for it 
through the nose," to use a British term for "stung," the 
standard rate in Africa for placing a tooth in a plate, whether 
one or sixteen, being only $5 each. 



CHAPTER III 

Mombasa^ British-East Africa, was not reached until 19 
days after sailing from Durban, although we traveled but 2,000 
miles. It was a very interesting trip, though, along the East 
Coast, as the ship stopped so often to unload and take on cargo, 
that passengers obtained a fair idea of that part of the world. 

Back in the early '8o's England and Germany resorted to 
every diplomatic device to acquire that great tract of country 
now known as German East Africa and British East Africa. 
The Sultan of Zanzibar exercised control of a strip of the coast- 
line, ten miles deep, north of Portuguese East Africa to Italian 
Somaliland, which naturally blocked the development of the in- 
terior. The claims of the two great countries were finally 
settled by Germany getting the southern part of the domain and 
England the northern part. The Sultan of Zanzibar still 
claims sovereignty of the ten-mile shore strip of the Indian 
Ocean, but in reality it is gone from him. The authentic his- 
tory of East Africa commences in 1498, when Vasco da Gama, 
the Portuguese explorer, anchored off Mombasa. 

Mombasa, located on Mombasa Island, is the chief seaport 
on the East Coast north of Durban and Lourenzo Marques. 
It has had a checkered career, being held at various times by 
Persians, Arabs, Egyptians, Portuguese and British. To-day 
the blacks number 30,000 and the whites about 500. Like 
most tropical places, the surroundings are naturally attractive, 
but fever is always present, and bubonic plague or smallpox may 
break out at any moment. 

Three years is the limit of residence here for a European. 
Some part of the human system is bound to give way if one does 
not leave before the three-year period expires. Two and a 
half years' residence and six months' vacation in Europe is the 

240 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 2541 

usual custom. The tropical climate seems to center its force on 
the muscles of the stomach, and this is one reason why every one 
wears flannel bands. Most of the business men are Asiatics. 
Natives take the place of horses here also, goods being moved 
on trucks pushed and pulled by black men. England's solid 
system of doing things is in evidence at every turn — notably 
in the good, clean streets, parks and docks. 

Before the railroad was pushed to the eastern shore of Vic- 
toria Nyanza the daring Europeans of early days had to travel 
four months before the western terminus was reached. Nowa- 
days two days' travel by rail will take one into the heart of 
Africa. The country then, as it is more or less to-day, was 
alive with ferocious beasts, and some of the native tribes were 
warlike. During the winter season there is no rain for a 
period of from four to six months. Only men of iron would 
tackle such a journey. The Arabs, however, had preceded the 
whites. 

On the Uganda Railway we boarded a train for Nairobi. 
For some distance the road passed through a tropical growth, 
when we entered the Taru Desert. Small trees of dense and 
thorny spreading limbs grow on this land. The lower limbs 
are brashy and bare of bark, and the ones above are leafless and 
gnarled, although alive. The Taru Desert is a leafless jungle. 
No bird life was apparent save vultures, whose repulsive ap- 
pearance seemed in keeping with the growth on which they 
rested. Fever trees were mentioned earlier in this Leg, and 
those growing here suggested the possibility of their exuding 
something noxious — if not odors leading to some form of fever, 
then, perhaps, to stomach trouble. 

A lone native, and often groups, were seen, with only a 
clout about the loins, carrying a long pole with a spear fixed 
to the end, at the station or traversing a native path leading 
somewhere, as there were no signs of habitation near the rail- 
way. Erect, slender, bareheaded and barefooted, he looked 
every inch the savage warrior one reads about. 

The track is meter gauge, three feet six inches, and the rail- 
way coaches, of two compartments, are small, each compart- 



242 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

ment accommodating six persons, 12 in all. The South Afri- 
can system — the best in the world — of providing free sleep- 
ing berths for passengers, has been adopted by the Uganda Rail- 
way Company. Four berths are provided in each compartment, 
but no bedding is furnished. Breakfast costs 32 cents, and 
luncheon and dinner 50 cents. Railway fare is only two cents 
a mile, and the speed 14 miles an hour. 

" Dak bungalow " proved a new building term to us, and 
another was the " godown." The dak bungalow serves the pur- 
pose of a hotel and is located at stations. These were built by 
the railway company for the convenience of passengers living 
in isolated places who used a certain station when traveling. 
The bungalow, which may be used one night free of charge, is 
provided with spring beds, but no bedding. The godown is a 
freight shed — any building where goods or cargo are stored 
is called a godown. Both terms are Asiatic. It would be a 
risky undertaking to start through some parts of that country at 
night, as many sections are infested with wild beasts. The 
agents at the stations were Indians. 

We were traveling over a section of country that had not 
been refreshed with rain for months. The soil being reddish, 
passengers' clothes resembled those worn by workers in a red 
brickyard. Conversations that had taken place between trav- 
elers during the voyage along the East Coast, of big game being 
seen within easy view of the railway in these parts, which 
swayed me from my original route at Zanzibar, were foremost 
in my mind at this point. Skeptical of feasting the eye on 
herds of zebra, gazelle, wildebeeste, even giraffe, and other 
game, my doubts were dispelled when a passenger remarked: 

" This is Makindu, where nature's zoo starts." " Do you 
think the game will be close enough to see from the train?" 
" They're on the veld all the time — see the zebra to the right? " 
he replied. Turning quickly in that direction, there they were, 
a solid foreground of striped beasts, not more than half a mile 
off the railway. The marvelous sight of thousands of zebra 
within easy view extended to the horizon. " You'll always 
find zebras huddled closely together," he interestingly went on, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 243 

" as they have an eternal fear of lions, who are partial to 
zebra flesh," he explained. " The hardest animal in Africa to 
tame is the zebra," he continued. " This animal can be ridden, 
and is sometimes attached to a light vehicle, but it cannot be 
trusted. The fear of lions has for ages been so firmly bred in 
the bone of this attractive beast that, no matter how kindly 
handled, its wildness is always evident. 

"Giraffes are generally seen browsing in the brush," kept on 
my companion. " They're sometimes called camelopards, 
owing to being spotted like a leopard and having a long neck 
like a camel. See ! " he exclaimed, pointing, " there's five of 
them and a calf." One could scarcely believe his own eyes. 
Sure enough, there stood five long-necked, brown and white 
spotted, stubby-horned, slant-backed giraffes and a calf, stand- 
ing in brush lower than their bodies, 100 feet from the railway 
track. As the train was passing they turned around and 
ambled clumsily further into the brush. 

" All that game you see to the right are hartebeeste and 
gazelles," my companion went on. " Keep watching to the 
left, though, as we may see more giraffes, for that stretch of 
brush will soon be passed, when there'll be no more chance to 
see that big game. He's a browser, you know, not a grazer. 
There are two more — a nice pair ! " he added. Sure as you're 
born, there stood two noble giraffes. Like the group of five 
with a calf, they turned and hobbled further into the under- 
growth. " We're about out of the brush now, so I don't think 
we'll see more of them," he said. What I had already seen 
amply offset the $15 exchange charged me at the Zanzibar 
bank. 

Simba was the name of a station as we entered the game 
fields; the meaning of the word "simba" is lion in the native 
tongue. More than a score of persons were killed by the king 
of beasts at this place, it is said, while building the railroad. 

" Those smaller animals you see together yonder are a pack 
of hyena," continued my traveling mate. " There are more 
zebra to the left. The animals further along are blue wilde- 
beeste (gnu), larger than the South African breed. See the 



244 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

ostrich?" (pointing). There they were, big black and white 
birds, with wings flopping, running over the plains, not a fence 
within hundreds of miles — as wild as wild could be. 

" We may see a lion before we reach Nairobi ; I've seen them 
on several occasions while traveling over this stretch of coun- 
try," he added. A lion did not show himself, but, as my com- 
panion said, they are frequently seen prowling over the treeless 
plains from the railroad. 

For over a hundred miles the traveler looks out upon great 
herds of game feeding on both sides of the railway track. 
Gazelles have become so tame that they sometimes keep grazing 
as the train passes by; and the hartebeeste, or kongonie, much 
larger than the gazelle, with a wedge-shaped head and an out- 
line of body resembling the girafFe, is nearly as numerous as the 
clean-cut, nimble gazelle. The wildebeeste is seen feeding and 
swishing his tail as contentedly as a cow in a pasture. Ostriches 
and zebras are on their native heath. Tigers, and other game 
also, may be seen while traveling through this most interesting 
stretch of country. 

These plains, like an American prairie, are free of timber ; and 
as far as the eye can see, from 50 feet off the railway track — 
to the horizon, in fact, — from Makindu to Nairobi, over a 
hundred miles, the eye feasts on a sportsman's paradise. 

We reached Nairobi 23 hours after leaving Mombasa, 327 
miles separating the chief port and the capital. What a ter- 
rible mixture of blacks was congregated on the platform and 
about the railway station! They were as numerous and black 
as flies around a barrel of molasses on a hot day. We Avere 
certainly in Darkest Africa. The ricksha is the hack of Nai- 
robi. One starts for his hotel, with a native in the shafts and 
another pushing, a jingle-jangle taking place all the while. 
The pullers, while less fantastic and grotesque than their Zulu 
brothers in Durban, still have distinctiveness, namely, in wear- 
ing small bells about ankles and arms ; the tinkle from these 
is constantly heard about the streets. For some distance from 
the station one is drawn along a level road, bordered with 
eucalyptus trees, to the business center. Wood and iron build- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 245 

ings — corrugated iron — are mostly used in both dwelling 
houses and business places. There is no paving on the streets, 
no sidewalks, nothing inviting, about the capital of the British- 
East Africa Protectorate ; but there is no grass growing on the 
streets, every one seemingly infused with a " boom " spirit. 
One finds, however, in this place a good, stone-built post office, 
a stone-built Treasury building, and structures of the same 
material under course of construction. 

Nairobi was the blackest town visited. Though considerable 
building was being done, a white man — such as carpenter, 
mason, plasterer or bricklayer — was not seen engaged at that 
class of work, all labor being done by Indians; most of the 
contractors also were Indians. The wages paid these blacks 
are from $1 to $1.25 a day. Natives carrying the hod, or 
bucket, rather, are paid from 6 to 12 cents a day. 

Mention was made in Leg Four of Suva, Fiji, having a daily 
newspaper, by reason of two tri-weeklies appearing on alternate 
days. In Nairobi, however, two daily newspapers appear on six 
mornings of the week, and besides these there are also weekly 
and monthly publications issued. Together with local news, 
brief cable dispatches are printed, enough to keep one in touch 
with important events taking place over the world. Even 
linot5^pe machines are found in that sparsely settled, out-of- 
the-way place. The Indian here, as everywhere, when he gets 
a foothold, has the printing trade killed in so far as a white 
man getting good wages is concerned. He sets type after a 
fashion for $15 to $18 a month. 

In order that the reader may draw an accurate conclusion as 
to the meaning of the term " Darkest Africa," Nairobi, with 
only 1,200 whites, has the largest European population of any 
city north of Salisbury and Bulawayo (Rhodesia) as far as 
Cairo, (Egypt), or in the full length of Africa to the west and 
northwest. 

The negro is not the horse of Nairobi. While few horses 
are seen, native oxen, with humps on their shoulders almost as 
large as a dromedary's, lumber through the streets yoked to 
wagons loaded with merchandise. 



i246 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

As the Zulu language is the key to the tribal dialects of 
South Africa, the Kiswahili language is likewise the key to the 
many native dialects in this section of Africa. The word " Wa ** 
is plural in the Kiswahili language, and is prefixed to the name 
of a person or a tribe; " M " prefixed means man or individual; 
" U," in the same way, means place or locality, and " Ki " pre- 
fixed indicates the language. As an example, the Masai tribe 
would be Wamasai, Mmasai would be a Masai man, Umasai 
would be Masailand, and Kimasai would mean the Masai dia- 
lect or language. 

Professor Diogenes Teufelsdrockh, an exponent of the phil- 
osophy of clothes, held that a majority of the people of the 
world devoted too much attention to the matter of unnecessary 
dress, a failing that militated against their moral and spiritual 
welfare. The men of this tribe, gaunt and gawky, wear noth- 
ing but a sort of shirt — a piece of cloth, with a hole in the 
center large enough to admit a head through, secured by 
neither string, band, nor suspenders. The original color of the 
shirt might once have been a mongrel brown, similar to un- 
bleached muslin, but, as the Wakikuyu observe few wash days, 
the " garment " is usually many shades darker. Shoes and 
head covering, like the breeches, are also tabooed. 

The Wakikuyu was the worst native tribe we had seen. 
The men looked half-starved, and it was tiresome to see them 
work. Excavation was being made for the foundation of a 
building, the dirt being carried out in small pans; sometimes 
these would not contain more than a cupful of earth. When 
coming up the incline from the excavation to the street their 
gait was that of a crippled snail. They receive from 6 to 12 
cents a day, and possibly may earn it. 

The women of the Wakikuyu tribe, on the other hand, are 
hard workers. They till the land, and raise flocks of goats, 
sheep, and cattle. They wear more clothing than the men, their 
principal covering being a tanned sheep or goat skin that has 
been soaked with grease. Dust and dirt coming in contact with 
the greased skin naturally give the garment an untidy appear- 
ance. What seems a cruel fashion among the women of this 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 247 

tribe is the mutilation of their ears. The lobes are slit, and 
thick chunks of sugar-cane, bamboo, calabashes, or other round 
articles, from the size of a thread spool to the circumference of 
a teacup, are pressed through. The plug and " ear bands " re- 
semble an elastic band a quarter of an inch in width placed 
around a drinking glass. The plug is short, from two to three 
inches in length. These are forced between the " ear bands " 
so snugly that they will not fall out while the wearer is moving 
about. The woman wearing the largest plug is the best dressed, 
according to Wakikuyu fashion, and is envied by those of her 
sisters whose ear-lobes will not accommodate the larger " orna- 
ment." In many instances the punctured lobe is so extended 
that it becomes a loop, the ends of which sometimes rest on the 
shoulders. When not in use, so to speak, the ear loop is hung 
up on the top of the ear and seems to be secured by a knot made 
in that extended and flexible member. She carries her babe 
inside her goatskin covering in front, and a heavy basket of 
wood, potatoes, or other things on her back. A strap passes 
across her forehead, the ends secured to the basket. The great 
weights carried in the baskets make in time an indentation in 
the forehead the width of the strap. 

A native of that tribe would prefer to be killed rather than 
touch anything dead — even a rat. If one of their number 
should suddenly die in the hut, every one would immediately 
move out and leave the dead member behind. Before taking 
final leave of the old home, however, time is taken to dig a 
hole under the side of the hut large enough to admit either a 
jackal or hyena, when the body would be left to be devoured by 
these beasts later. The Mkikuyu, though, in order to retain 
his abode, takes care that few deaths take place in the hut. 
When a member of a family becomes sick he is taken out of and 
led some distance away from the home and laid on the ground. 
Those accompanying the sick native may, with a short stick ot 
wood, the ends resting in two crotches made of four shorter 
pieces held by a grass band, lay his head on the native " pillow," 
close to a lone thorn bush, with a short piece of goatskin covering 
the body. If the negro recovers he is taken back to the hut. 



248 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

While thus holding vigil on the veld, a vulture may be seen 
soaring above where the native is lying, with others appearing 
to view in the distance, and in the background the forms of 
jackals and the outline of slinking hyenas may also be apparent, 
for these vultures and beasts seem to know, not alone through 
instinct, but from former similar settings, that the body of the 
native, when life has left it, will not be put underground nor 
be removed by the superstitious tribesmen. 

Many of the natives are smeared with reddish, greasy clay 
from head to foot. The hair, worn long by some, is plastered 
and shaped to resemble a turtle, with head jutting out and tail 
extended. They wear no shoes, and seldom a hat. One sees 
the native in British East Africa little different than he lived a 
thousand years ago. 

Men wearing two soft, broad-brimmed felt hats strikes one 
as out of the ordinary. Nairobi is but 80 miles south of the 
Equator, and heavy head-covering must be worn to guard 
against sunstroke. Helmets are worn by a great many, but 
the two hats, the top one over the under one, are worn as com- 
monly as the helmet. 

A library is one of the features of the town. An electric 
light plant was seen here; also bioscope theaters. One thing 
Nairobi did not have — colored postcards that were of any 
interest. Motor cars spin about the streets. Food, clothes 
and living expenses are cheaper in Nairobi than in South Africa. 
Hotel accommodation was but $1.60 a day. 

Coffee growing is a promising industry of that section of the 
Protectorate. A French mission is located a few miles from 
Nairobi, and the fathers, some fifteen years ago, experimented 
with the coffee bush. It proved a success, and several large 
plantations have since been established. An exorbitant price 
is asked for land in this district. 

Irish potatoes grow in these parts, but not along the coast. 
The altitude of Nairobi is 5,000 feet, and, while the sun is hot 
in the daytime, the nights are cool. 

Most of the big-gam.e hunting parties are equipped in Nairobi. 
The guides are about the town every few days, and a lion is 




Vigil on the Veld (top). 

British East Africa. 

"Trolley" Pushers (bottom). 

Beira, Portuguese East Africa. 



See page 230. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 249 

guaranteed to be killed or no charge required. Eight lions 
were killed not far from here during our stay. One may stroll 
a mile from the center of the town, sit on a hill, and watch 
herds of gazelle grazing not a half mile away. The black-and- 
white monkey comes from this section of Africa. 

" Boy ! boy ! boy ! " is heard from nearly every room in a 
hotel in the morning. Everybody has a boy to black his shoes, 
lace his shoes, put away his clothes after dusting, get his shav- 
ing outfit — the sort of waiting on that spoils the white man. 
The hallways of the hotel are crowded with the guests' black 
servants. No one thinks of carrying a valise or bundle of any 
kind. The " boy " is expected to be in the hallway morning, 
noon and night waiting to serve his master. 

Mount Kenia, 18,000 feet high, located directly under the 
Equator and 80 miles from Nairobi, may be seen from the 
town any clear day; also Mount Kilimanjaro, 19,000 feet high, 
about the same distance south of this place. 

The Uganda Railway headquarters is located at Nairobi. 
Some of the locomotives used on this road are of American 
manufacture, easily distinguishable from English-built engines, 
for American-built locomotives are the only ones which carry 
a bell. The locomotive engineers are nearly all Indians. The 
Uganda Railway is a paying concern, for dividends of 33 per 
cent, are declared nearly every year. Passenger fare is reason- 
able, but freight charges are said to be very high. It cost 
$50,000 a mile to build the Uganda Railway, which is 584 
miles in length. 

The various native tribes have peculiar marks by which they 
are distinguished. One tribe may have a certain tooth missing; 
another the end of their teeth filed to a sharp point; still an- 
other may have their teeth nicked, like a saw, done with a 
stone; or by other marks, easily distinguished. 

Horse racing, football, cricket, and other English sports are 
indulged in. Saturday afternoon is devoted to recreation, as 
the Saturday half-holiday is observed. Government employees 
form a considerable proportion of the population. 



CHAPTER IV; 

Nairobi was as far as we intended going when leaving th^ 
ship at Mombasa, but, finding the country so new and interest- 
ing, with traveling and living expenses reasonable, we decided 
to press on to the shores of Victoria Nyanza. From Nairobi 
going westward we rose to an elevation of 7,000 feet. Among 
the limbs of the trees, while traveling over that part of the 
railway line, can be seen crude, small barrels made of pieces of 
wood; these have been put in the trees by natives to intercept 
itinerant swarms of bees. The stations and surroundings were 
literally covered with blacks — natives and Indians. With the 
Mkikuyu woman, in her greased goatskin and plugged ear lobes, 
and some of the men covered with the greasy, red clay from 
head to foot, with hair fixed to resemble the turtle; with the 
Indian wearing his cloth headgear, and the Indian woman with 
her ankle and wrist bangles; with no Europeans in sight save 
as passengers — British-East Africa to-day offers more of in- 
terest, more for native study, than even interesting South 
Africa. 

At Escarpment a splendid view was afforded, for the railway 
descends from a high point down the steep mountainside into 
what is known as the Great Meridional Rift, or Rift Valley, a 
depression in the earth that is said to extend to Egypt. As the 
train travels down a woody mountain, to the left and in front 
is the Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha. Traveling along we 
come to another game preserve, where gazelles, hartebeestes, 
wildebeestes, ostriches and zebras are grazing upon and scam- 
pering over the great valley, unaware of the pleasure their pres- 
ence affords passengers while traveling through that stretch of 
country. 

No evidence of habitation is seen from the railway, yet people 

250 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 251 

get off at stations — only stations — and often persons are seen 
waiting at those lonesome spots in that wild land for the train 
to take them beyond. The same took place when coming up the 
coast — passengers got off and others got on the ship, though 
no white settlements were in sight. It is marvelous how white 
people settle in such untrodden sections in which to make a 
living, surrounded as they are on every side by the wildest and 
most uncertain phases of life. 

Strange-looking berries were served at an eating station, and 
on inquiry as to the nature of the fruit, we were informed 
that an American had crossed two bushes — a strawberry and 
a raspberry — and the result, half-strawberry and half-rasp- 
berry, growing in that far-off land, we were now sampling. 

We passed through Masailand, a native preserve, occupied by 
what was formerly a troublesome tribe. They live on the 
plains, and are said to own a quarter of a million head of 
cattle. Passing through attractive mountainous country, from 
Mau Summit, over 8,000 feet above sea level, we descended to 
Kavirondo Valley, a flat country. 

Naked natives, free from civilization's binding customs, hoe- 
ing corn, weeding land, and watching sheep and goats, were 
seen working in the fields. These were the Wakavirondo, a 
tribe noted for its industriousness. They are chiefly engaged 
in farming and gardening, and their products are carried to 
Port Florence to be sold. Some of them have on a slight cover- 
ing when they go to town, but it is discarded a short distance 
from where they left their produce. 

Labor agents engage " boys " of the Wakavirondo tribe to 
work for a certain length of time away from their district. 
Of course, the men must wear some clothes. Returning in from 
three to six months, they have become accustomed to wearing 
covering and wish to continue doing so. Like the Maori 
women, though, the women of this African tribe insist on main- 
taining the custom of their ancestors, so the men have to dis- 
card the clothes they had become used to and resume their 
former clothesless existence. It is very warm where the Waka- 
virondo live — under the Equator. 



^52 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Port Florence — or Kisumu, as that place is more often 
called — was now reached, and before us spread the blue, calm, 
green-island dotted water of Victoria Nyanza. We were at 
the western terminus of the Uganda Railway — the last rail- 
road piercing Africa in that direction. A railway station, a 
dak bungalow — the only place at which to stop — and per- 
haps a dozen houses built on raised ground, with good wharves, 
a godown and a marketplace, almost completed the " attrac- 
tions " of Port Florence. Fever is very bad in Kisumu, and 
smallpox and bubonic plague were holding a levee at the time 
we visited the place. Bubonic plague is so common here that 
no one pays much attention to it. Blacks are taken off with 
the plague in large numbers, but few Europeans die from that 
pestilence. 

Trains run but twice a week from Mombasa to Port Florence, 
and the lake boats connect with the trains; so if I remained in 
Kisumu it would necessarily be for three days, and people die in 
less than that time after having been bitten by the bubonic flea. 
I did not relish the idea of possibly breathing my last just then, 
nor at that place. The blue water was alluring, the green 
islands bewitching, and in fancy we caught an echo of a call 
from Uganda's shore, inviting us to cross the great African lake 
and tarry a short while in the land of the Waganda. So, when 
the vessel moved from the wharf on her voyage across Victoria 
Nyanza, we were among the passengers. 

The boats traversing that sheet of water are from 500 to 
1,000 tons' displacement, lighted by electricity and of modern 
design. Every available sleeping place was occupied, and the 
vessel's water-line was concealed by the weight of her cargo. 

A stranger would not know when he had reached the body 
of the lake, as the course is through blue-water avenues, bor- 
dered with tropical green islands, for a large part of the journey. 
The distance across is 175 miles, and 24 hours was taken in 
making the journey. The boats on Victoria N^^anza do not 
travel at night, which accounts for the slow time. The Equator 
was crossed and recrossed during the 24-hours' journey, but the 
game of " Neptune " was not played. The lake is nearly 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 253 

4,000 feet above sea-level, 240 miles in length, and its area 
26,000 square miles. 

Although very fertile, none of the islands vv^as inhabited. 
For centuries most of these had been under cultivation, but the 
sleeping-sickness plague made such havoc among the natives that 
the British government some years ago forced them to the main- 
land. 

Entebbe, on the western shore of Victoria Nyanza, is the 
Imperial capital of Uganda, but Kampala, 23 miles north, is the 
native capital. The British government officials are located at 
the former place, while the native legislature convenes in the 
latter. Most of the land of Uganda is owned by natives, but 
no concessions are granted without the approval of British of- 
ficials. If one wishes to buy land, he must apply for it through 
the native legislature. Uganda is a rich country, but little 
land is under cultivation. Indians and Arabs would quickly 
buy large tracts, but they are not wanted there, as no one 
profits from Asiatic holdings but Asiatics; besides they would 
ill-treat the natives, Uganda was made a British Protectorate 
in 1894. It has an area of 300,000 square miles, that of 
British-East Africa 200,000 square miles. Europeans in the 
Uganda Protectorate number only about 2,000. 

Built on a high point of land, with two blue-water bays on 
each side and a wide sweep of Victoria Nyanza spreading out to 
the horizon; evergreen landscape beyond the mainland borders 
of the bays; trees smothered with vari-colored flowers, and the 
streets carpeted with a floral covering which falls from them; 
bright and pretty-colored birds enhancing the picture, with 
their sweet carols " at early morn and dewy eve; " bulky banana 
bushes and papaw, or mummy-apple, trees growing at every 
turn; the gardens to the homes of the dwellers glowing with 
flowers — there, away off in Uganda, on the peninsula over- 
looking the great lake, at Entebbe, we found one of the grandest 
settings of both land and water scenery the eye could feast on. 

This was the first place we observed natives seeking work. 
When coming from the wharf to the town, tidy, well-developed 
Waganda would timidly approach, holding in their hands a 



254 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

small book or piece of paper. In the book or on the paper was 
written their records, good or otherwise, the wages they had 
received, and the length of time worked at various places. The 
applicant may be a houseboy, cook or land worker. It is cus- 
tomary, in fact a standard rule, when servants leave employ- 
ment, to give them a note, which is their reference. None of 
them know a letter of the alphabet, so have no idea of the 
nature of the writing. 

Mention has been made of the uninviting appearance of the 
Mkikuyu at Nairobi and the naked Mkavirondo living on the 
eastern shore of the lake. Here, over 400 miles west of Nairobi 
and 175 west of Port Florence, we found the splendidly-built, 
tidily-dressed, clean Waganda. The women of this tribe are 
almost as well developed as the Zulu women. The Maganda 
also carries loads on her head. It is hard to understand why 
these natives, so far away from civilization, are so neatly dressed. 
The Maganda is a good native. 

We were but three miles north of the Equator, at an eleva- 
tion of 4,000 feet, and the comfortable climate, instead of an 
almost unbearable one one would expect to encounter here, is 
a surprise. In the evening the air became so cool that the 
veranda was vacated for a seat inside. 

Less than 150 white persons live in Entebbe, but with the 
Arabs, Indians, and many natives, the population reaches 20,- 
000. Were government employees to leave, very few Eu- 
ropeans would be left in the capital. 

This was one place in which the moving picture was not to 
be seen, and one is getting pretty well out of the world, so to 
speak, when he has out-trod the sphere of that common means 
of amusement. But there was a phonograph, owned by an 
Indian, who lived across the road from where I slept. Indian 
music is weird with a vengeance. The scale is cast in high C, 
and the flats and sharps and other " harmonics " that went with 
the music seemed to be like a clashing of rasps, files and grating 
iron. At 2 o'clock in the morning the " tormentor " was 
started, and its weird notes unmercifully pierced the equatorial 
air until daylight. The police sometimes stopped the music 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS isi 

for a couple of nights, but it was soon heard again. I became 
well known at the police station through lodging complaints 
against the owner of that infamous phonograph. 

The wharf at the lake was piled high with merchandise and 
cotton bales. Some of the imports were to be moved into the 
interior as far as the Belgian Congo. The means of con- 
veyance was the heads of natives — porters, as they are called. 
From 300 to 600 porters, all looking half-starved, assembled 
in front of a shipping agent's office and waited for orders to 
start on the trip. Horses cannot live in Uganda, so natives 
take the horses' place. Sixty pounds is the standard load for 
a porter to carry. The goods are packed and shipped in quan- 
tities conforming to that weight, when it is possible to do so. 
The articles carried may be grubhoes, chairs, a box containing 
canned vegetables or food, a bed spring, bedding, a table, five- 
gallon cans of oil — anything in the nature of food, clothing, or 
household furnishings. When the article exceeds 60 pounds, 
two, three, and even four porters, with bamboo poles, are as- 
signed to the load. The small army of porters — the African 
freight train — start, with a stick in their hand and 60 pounds 
of freight on their heads. The destination is Toro, 200 miles 
further into Africa. White men are in charge of the " freight 
train." Each porter takes with him a portion of rice or corn- 
meal. His meat is furnished by the white men in charge, who 
carry rifles, and by that means game is shot en route. Thirty 
days is the time required to travel the 200 miles, and for carry- 
ing 60 pounds of goods that distance a porter receives $3. A 
new " freight train " will take up the goods at Toro and ad- 
vance the cargo further into the wild country. Certain packs 
of natives will not go further than the sub-stopping place, as 
natives beyond are generally hostile to tribes stopping at that 
point. In that way traders living in remote parts are supplied 
with goods. 

We were right in the heart of the sleeping-sickness zone. It 
has been estimated that 300,000 natives have been swept away 
by this strange and fatal disease. Remains of huts and other 
mute evidences of tribal existence at certain parts of the lake 



i!56 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

districts indicate the wiping out of whole tribes by this pesti- 
lence, which accounts for the British government forcing the 
natives from the lake islands to live on the mainland. Some 
of these ejected natives try to return to their old home, and 
it was said to be a pathetic sight when they were forced to 
change their abode. The islands are infested with the fly whose 
bite injects the death virus. A strip of territory two miles 
from the shore of the lake is prohibited ground, and legal pun- 
ishment is provided for any one found over the fly-infested 
lines. 

Sleeping sickness is caused from a bite of the tsetse fly. It 
is as large as a horse-fly, and when it bites a victim it usually 
draws blood. The poison injected infects the blood, and is 
thought to be extracted from crocodiles by the fly while resting 
on that beast. It may be weeks, and even months, before the 
poison affects the victim. An3rway, mopiness will become notice- 
able, then drowsiness, accompanied by loss of appetite; then an 
overpowering desire to sleep overtakes the victim. All the time 
he is becoming emaciated from lack of food. This condition 
continues for months in some instances, and there are cases 
where victims have moped and drowsed for years. Some of the 
deaths are very painful, while others apparently die in their 
sleep. Three flies, with Latin names, carry the sleeping sick- 
ness virus — the Glossina palpalis, the Glossina morsitans, and 
the Glossina fusca. They are generally termed " morsitans," 
" palpalis " and " fusca." The most advanced medical scien- 
tists may be found in this part of the world trying to find out 
something definite about the virus and devising means for its 
eradication, but are as yet in the dark concerning how to com- 
bat the suffering and fatalities that follow in the wake of this 
strange disease. Sleeping sickness is prevalent in some parts of 
Rhodesia, Central Africa and in other interior sections of the 
Dark Continent. 

The means employed to eradicate the fly is by cutting the 
brush from the shore of the lake. A fly will not remain in 
the sun long, so when the brush has been cut and a fly's resting 
place, the shade, is removed, he leayes the brush-barren district 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 257 

and seeks shady fields. A grass — lemon grass, it is called — 
with a leaf a quarter of an inch wide, which grows to two 
feet high, is often planted on the land from which the brush 
has been cleared. The grass has an oily, lemon taste, which 
the tsetse fly does not fancy, and he leaves the cleared section. 

In the early days Stanley and those that came later to these 
parts crossed the lake in canoes, rowed by natives. That was 
a dangerous undertaking, as the lake then, as to-day, was in- 
habited by hippopotami and crocodiles. As stated in Leg Two, 
the " hippo " will not harm a person in the water, but he may 
overturn a boat that attempts to ride over him, when the croco- 
dile would devour those cast overboard. 

Most of the wild animals in that part of the world are pro- 
tected from hunters by government laws, but the hippopotamus 
and the crocodile are left to the mercy of any who wish to kill 
them. The big water-cows are very destructive to growing 
grain and vegetables. They come out at night to forage, when 
they destroy gardens, corn fields and grain. These animals 
travel a mile or more from the shore for food. The only 
time when a " hippo " will attack a person is if the latter 
should be between the water and the beast. 

Coffee and rubber plantations have been laid out and promise 
large returns in the future. The natives raise a great deal of 
cotton, and cotton gins are located at many of the lake ports. 
So much cotton is produced that the lake boats cannot keep the 
wharves and godowns from being overloaded. 

Three years' growth is required before the rubber tree is 
tapped. Several diagonal circles are cut in the bark. A piece 
of wood, with sharp nails, similar to a hair comb, is pressed 
against the tender bark. White sap then oozes from the tree 
and runs down a gutter cut in the bark. At the end of the 
gutter a tin spout connects, down which the latex runs into a 
tin cup on the ground. An ounce of sap is produced from a 
tapping. A tree is tapped every day for a month, then allowed 
to rest for a month. Sap will run from a tree but half an hour 
a day. Natives gather the cups from each tree, emptying each 
ounce in a larger vessel. The latex collected is put in tanks 



25B SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

five feet long and six inches wide. The next day the sap is 
taken out, when it will have become a white strip, like a piece 
of fat pork. The slab or sheet of raw rubber is next put 
through a press twice, which squeezes out water and impurities. 
The sheet of raw rubber remains unbroken, and its thickness 
is reduced to a quarter of an inch. It is then rolled together, 
like belting, put into a drying place, where it remains for a 
month, after which it is shipped North for refining. Before 
tapping a tree the bark is cleansed with a carbolic acid wash. 
The sap is white as milk, and sticky, and remains that color 
until refined. An average of one pound of rubber a month from 
a tree is a good yield, and the price ranges from $2 to $3 a 
pound in the raw state. The trees will produce sap for about 
ten years, and are from two to eight inches in diameter. Some 
rubber plantations contain hundreds of thousands of trees, and 
from 200 to 1,000 natives are employed. The wages paid 
latex gatherers in Uganda are from $1 to $1.50 a month. 

At the market place little cleaning-up was necessary, as 
vultures pick meat blocks and keep the floors white after the 
day's business. 

A good botanical garden that any city of half a million popu- 
lation would be proud of is found in Entebbe. Often groups 
of monkeys may be seen jumping from limb to limb and from 
tree to tree in the garden, each following the same route that 
the first one traveled. 

Missions and missionaries are quite numerous in that sec- 
tion of Africa, almost every religious denomination being repre- 
sented. 

A ricksha is the usual means of traveling. When going 
from place to place, three natives are assigned to a ricksha, two 
pushing, with one between the shafts. These have bells tied 
around their ankles, and they sing from the time they start 
until they have reached the end of their stage. Each team 
runs about five miles, when three fresh pullers take charge of 
the vehicle; then the passenger will again spin along the road 
at a speed of five miles an hour, cheered by the tunes of the 
natives. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 259 

" Safari " is a word much used in the Protectorates. When 
one camps out, or goes on a country journey, he will be on 
" safari." Often a man's standing is gauged by the number of 
natives that accompany him. In the eyes of the natives the 
man with the largest safari is the bigger man. For that reason 
a vain man will have a larger force of natives serving him than 
would be necessary were his position not gauged on that basis. 
In that and in other ways white men become slaves to the 
caprice of native opinion. 

Natives living in that part of Uganda are ant-eaters. The 
white ant, another African scourge, builds, unseen, large choco- 
late-colored mounds of dirt, some of them eight feet in height 
and from six to eight feet across the base. After reaching a 
certain age wings grow on the ants, when they emerge from the 
hill. The natives, aware of the time the exodus is to take 
place, build a frame of sticks over the cone of the mound, over 
which is placed a bark cloth. The cone is covered down the 
sides to a place below which the ants will not break through 
the dirt. Between the bottom of the upright frame sticks and 
the mound will be placed a banana leaf, the center pressed 
down, forming a trench. The ants, on emerging from the 
mound, fly upward, when they strike the cloth covering and 
drop into the banana leaf trench. Once their flight is inter- 
rupted they cannot fly again. An hour's time is consumed 
while migrating from the mound — from the time the ants 
begin to come out until all have left their old home — during 
which the natives are busy eating the insects that creep out 
between the leaf cracks. They gather these by the wings, 
which are an inch in length, and put the live ants into their 
mouths, wings and all. The swarm of ants is later scooped 
from the trench, put into baskets made of leaves, taken to the 
hut, where the wings are plucked, and are then put into a pan 
and fried. In keeping with the secret and interesting nature 
of that insect, they do not begin to leave the mound before sun- 
set, and often not until dark. Also, in keeping with the gen- 
erosity of the Mganda, a member of this tribe, holding a num- 
ber of ants by their wings in one hand and putting these in his 



26o SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

mouth — having an equal number in the other hand — offered 
to share the winged delicacies with his white spectator. 

A variety of grass, from 6 to 12 feet high, called elephant 
grass, grows in that country. Some ivory hunters have met 
their death owing to wounded elephants secreting themselves 
in the tall reeds. A hunter would naturally follow the tracks 
of the great beast, though, being close to his quarry, he could 
not see him; but the elephant could see the hunter. Before 
he could protect himself or escape, the powerful trunk 
would come down on the hunter and deal him a death blow. 
Ivory from the tusks of the female elephant is the better grade. 
Ivory smuggling is said to be practiced in that part of the world, 
as opium smuggling is in some parts of America. While the 
tusks of some elephants weigh 25 pounds, the average is 15 
pounds. Export and import duty on ivory is very high, which 
accounts for alleged smuggling in that product. Elephants 
take 30 years to attain their full growth. 

The two most dangerous animals in Africa are the buffalo 
and the rhinoceros. Most animals will run from man, but a 
buffalo may be just inside tall grass or a brush thicket, unseen, 
when he will charge a hunter. The rhinoceros is almost blind, 
but what he lacks in sight is made up for by his keen scent. As 
soon as he scents anything he wishes to impale on his horn, he 
starts in the direction from which he got his lead. When 
closely pursued by a " rhino," the hunter will stand still until 
the big beast is immediately in front; then he will side-step. 
A man can turn much quicker than a " rhino," and in that way 
one has a chance to get away, or to keep dodging the animal 
until help comes. 

Plural marriage is the custom with these natives, but a wife 
in Uganda is one-half cheaper than in Zululand, from four to 
six head of cattle being the standard price of a helpmate. 

Bananas and sweet potatoes grow very bountifully, and these 
two vegetables comprise the principal food of the natives. The 
banana is boiled when green and eaten. The soil is rich and a 
chocolate color. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 261 

This was the only place in our tour of Africa where pretty 
birds were seen and also were heard singing. Birds in South 
Africa seldom sing. Parrots are on their native heath here. 

The sun in that part of the world shines 12 hours a day the 
year round. 

Automobiles, motor trucks, motorcycles and bicycles may be 
seen spinning along good roads. 

My time had been overstayed in Entebbe, so we took our 
departure for Kampala, the native capital. The lake stopping- 
place is called Port Bell, Seven miles from the little port is 
located Kampala, the ancient capital of Uganda, and that dis- 
tance is traveled in a government motor car. Rubber trees and 
banana groves line the roadway for the distance. About 
75,000 natives live in Kampala, but the huts are so scattered and 
buried under banana bushes that one would not think there 
were one-third that number. It is another Rome, so far as 
hills are concerned. The government buildings are seen on one 
hill, the King's house and Ministers' houses on another, and a 
monastery and a mission stand on other hills. Four hundred 
Europeans comprise the population. 

Our next landing from Kampala was Jinja, another port of 
Victoria Nyanza, and the most interesting of the lake stops, 
as we had reached the outlet of that body of water, Ripon 
Falls, where one looks at the starting point of the historical 
river Nile, the magnet that figured largely in my giving way to 
the witchery of the foreground when standing on the shore of 
the lake at Kisumu some weeks before, 

J. H. Speke, an Englishman, in 1858, discovered Victoria 
Nyanza, but its outlet, hidden by green banks on each side, 
was not reached until four years later, on his second visit to 
that section of Africa. He named that neck of water Napoleon 
Gulf. Speke was the first to reveal the source of the river 
Nile, which had long been sought by the Egyptians, who had 
for ages been in the dark concerning the fountain-head of the 
river that meant so much to them in providing water to grow 
crops — their life, in fact. When it is recalled that rain has 



262 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

not fallen for thousands of years in some sections of the African 
continent through which the Nile flows, it is little wonder that 
the Egyptians were eager to learn of the river's source. 

Ripon Falls, named by Speke after the president of the geo- 
graphical society that financed his explorations, is located a mile 
from Jinja, and is only 12 feet high and 400 feet wide, but 
when that plunge has been taken the water becomes the river 
Nile. From Ripon Falls to Albert Nyanza the river is known 
as the Victoria Nile. On, on it flows through countries in- 
habited by savage tribes — by elephants , rhinoceroses, lions 
and hippopotami — through lakes and great swamps ; still on 
and on through the Soudan, and even further northward, where 
it is halted for a time by the great Assouan Dam. It next 
passes through the desert to Alexandria, Egypt, where it be- 
comes lost in the salted ocean, nearly 4,000 miles from its 
source. 

Until a few years ago visitors to Ripon Falls were forbidden 
to go close to the section where the water makes its plunge 
from Victoria Nyanza to the River Nile, as the brush growing 
on both sides was infested with tsetse flies. The brush was 
finally cleared and lemon grass planted. One is not quite safe 
from being bitten even now, as on the opposite side the brush 
is dense, and the distance across the river would be none too far 
for a fly to journey. No one enters that brush unless their 
hands are covered, and face and neck protected with a heavy 
veil, to thwart any attack by that winged messenger of death. 

From Jinja a railroad, the only one in Uganda, extends 
northward 59 miles. 

Returning by boat to Port Florence, then by train over the 
mountains to Nairobi, we again feasted our eyes on big game 
while traveling through the great preserve; next through the 
Taru Desert, where the leafless trees grow; and finally we 
rumbled over the trestle spanning the water channel separating 
Mombasa Island from the mainland. 



LEG SIX 



CHAPTER I 

We now take final leave of Africa, the land of fever and 
fascination, and start for India. The boat from which I dis- 
embarked at Mombasa vi^eeks before had sailed to Bombay, 
returned to Africa, and vras now again on her voyage to the 
Pearl of the Orient. Only two Europeans were traveling sec- 
ond-class — the only white passengers aboard — the others be- 
ing black. We had been at sea but a few hours when the 
captain invited us to quarters in the first-class section without 
additional charge. Seldom are passengers favored with such 
kindness. The ship headed for the Island of Mahe, the largest 
of the Seychelles group. 

Before leaving Mombasa passengers had to be vaccinated, 
as smallpox had broken out in that place. The port doctor 
snagged my arm with an inoculation needle in three different 
places, giving as a reason for doing so that he was sure none of 
them would " take." Later, it became painfully evident his 
opinion could not be depended upon in a matter of that nature, 
as three flaming-like eyes appeared on my arm — all three 
vaccinations had " taken." 

A ship may enter the port of Bombay, India, though bubonic 
plague and smallpox is ravaging the passengers, but if what is 
known as a jigger is found on the feet or hands of a passenger 
a vessel would be quarantined for eight days. The jigger is 
a small insect that crawls under the toenail, deposits eggs if 
allowed to remain, and then dies; its eggs, however, cause a 
sore, which spreads over feet and legs, and the hands and body 
eventually become scaly, somewhat like eczema. African na- 
tives are very clever at digging out the jigger. The ship's doc- 
tor examines every toe and hand of passengers booked for 
India. He places a box on deck, when, one at a time, each 

26s 



266 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

passenger puts first one foot on the box, when the doctor in- 
spects each toe, and then the other, for jigger indications. Sev- 
eral days are devoted to this examination. 

** A complete quarantine " was the order of the port doctor 
when we reached Port Victoria, on the island of Mahe, Sey- 
chelles group, the Mombasa clearance papers announcing small- 
pox prevalent in the African town. 

The coco-de-mer — a double cocoanut — is perhaps one of 
the strangest products in the world; only in the Seychelles 
group will the nut grow, and there on but two islands. After 
the shuck has been removed the double nut is found, black as 
ebony. A striking feature of the coco-de-mer is its resemblance 
to the torso of a black person. The tree on which it grows is 
like the cocoanut palm, and the nut is used for decorating homes 
and clubs. The palm grows in sexes, male and female, only 
the female tree bearing. 

This group is composed of 29 islands, with an area of 153 
square miles, and is located in the Western Indian Ocean about 
a thousand miles east of Zanzibar. The French settled these in 
1742, which remained their territory for 50 years, when Eng- 
land added them to her possessions. The 30,000 inhabitants 
of the islands speak the French tongue. Unlike most sections 
of Africa, the climate here is healthful, the group being often 
referred to as the Garden of Eden. Cocoa oil and vanilla are 
the principal exports; tea, coffee, banana, cocoanut and other 
tropical growths also flourish. The natives are yellow in color, 
but not negroid. American five-gallon oil tins are in evidence 
in that isolated " oasis " of the world. 

We traveled northwest from Seychelles, when we recrossed 
the equator, leaving behind the towering palms of Rio; the 
circling albatross and pretty Cape pigeons, the whales, flambeau 
trees, Zulu ricksha pullers, gold and diamond mines, Victoria 
Falls, and shapely mountains of South Africa; Australia, New 
Zealand, and the South Sea Islands; the interesting East Coast 
of Africa and Zanzibar; leafless trees, game preserves, green- 
island dotted Victoria Nyanza, nimble monkeys disporting in 
treetops, ant-eating natives, pretty birds, Ripon Falls, the tsetse 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 267 

fly — mindful only of the interesting and fascinating — and, 
lastly, the Southern Cross, as we say a final good-by to attrac- 
tive Southland and the kind people living in that division of the 
vv'orld. 

" The anchor rattles dow^n on stranger shores." We had 
stopped at Morumgoa, Portuguese-India, where most of the 
black passengers left the ship. Goa is the name of this Portu- 
guese colony, which embraces an area of 1,500 square miles, and 
has been ruled by Portugal since the fifteenth century. Half 
a million Portuguese subjects live in Goa, and from that place 
comes the Goanese. They consider themselves Europeans, dress 
like Europeans, but are as black as an Indian. Stewards on 
passenger steamships in the East are generally Goanese, as they 
make better servants than Indians. The passengers were re- 
turning from Africa, where they had earned from $20 to 
$30 a month, very good wages for them. They had saved 
enough in Africa to live in ease at home for a long time, and 
would send friends across the Indian Ocean to take their places. 

Another day's travel within sight of the Indian shore, and 
we sailed into the east bay of Bombay harbor, when a splendid 
panorama — the city on our left, the bay in front, and green 
hills and islands to the right — spread out before us. We had 
reached Asia — Leg Six. 

The Parsi (a Persian) is the financial power in Bombay, 
coming to India a long time ago, when his empire was destroyed 
by the Mohammedans. Persecuted by Indians for centuries, 
his progress is entirely due to the protection he has received 
under England's strong arm. Bombay has been an English 
possession for 300 years. 

The Parsi is lighter in color than the Indian, dresses differ- 
ently, thinks he is better than the native, will not eat food pre- 
pared by others, and does not marry outside his own race. A 
majority of Parsis wear spectacles — possibly one of the results 
of tribal intermarriage. 

One is surprised, on visiting this Pars! stronghold, at the 
splendid buildings, rising bulky and high, about the city. The 
streets in the business section are good and the walks in fain 



268 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

condition. A good system of stone and cement docks impresses 
the visitor. Ships are so numerous at this port that some of 
the vessels have to remain in harbor for days, and even weeks, 
before docking room is available. A large dry dock was under 
course of construction at this time, and other important im- 
provements were in evidence all along the water front. 

Trucking is done by oxen; horses are never seen drawing 
heavy loads. The Bombay truck is a two-wheeled cart, thou- 
sands of these, loaded with cotton bales and various merchan- 
dise, slowly moving about the city all the while. When drivers 
wish to speed their oxen they twist their tails. From this 
method of forcing the animals, the pronounced corrugated na- 
ture of their tails suggests that the joints had been wrenched 
apart numerous times. 

Bombay cotton mills number about a hundred and furnisK 
employment for over 200,000. Indian cotton is not so good as 
that grown in the United States, and for this reason hundreds 
of thousands of bales are imported from America each year to 
mix with the native product. Cotton is worn mainly by the 
natives, and, as the Indian woman has a weakness for colors, 
groups of these make a picturesque showing. 

Indian women work side by side with men and receive the 
same wages. The work engaged in may be carrying earth 
from an excavation, loading dirt into carts, shoveling coal, or 
lifting bales of cotton. These are known as coolies, and no dis- 
tinction is made between male and female. English rule has 
given some workers in India a short day, but others work 10 
and 12 hours. The wages paid coolies in Bombay are from six 
to eight cents a day. A woman may be carrying material to 
masons working on a wall of a building and her babe be sleep- 
ing behind a pile of bricks. When the child requires its 
mother's attention the hod-carrier walks over to the infant, re- 
mains a short while, then leaves, loads her basket with brick, 
lifts it to her head, and starts up the ladder with the material. 

Thousands of people in Bombay sleep on the sidewalk at 
night. They completely cover their head and face, placing a 
piece of old cloth under them — if so fortunate as to have some- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 269 

thing of that sort — He down, and sleep until morning. One 
wonders they do not die of suffocation. 

Usually the temperature is cooler at night than by day, but 
such is not the case in Bombay, the weather being hotter at 
night during the summer season than in the daytime, when a 
breeze generally blows, and ceases at sundown. Then perspira- 
tion seems just to boil out of one's body. Bombay being built 
on an island, with water on all sides, one would naturally think • 
air would be noticeably stirring at night, but instead the bays 
at this time of year are usually as calm as a mill pond. We 
reached this country the end of September, and for three weeks 
following the weather would not permit of even a sheet cover- 
ing at night. The weather is indeed hot in India. 

The monsoons, or rains, begin the latter end of May, and 
continue until the first of September. The rain comes in 
showers, the sun shining between, when steam continually rises 
from the ground. White women go to the mountains before 
the monsoons, on account of the trying nature of the weather, 
and also after the monsoons have ceased. The weather in 
India is very depressing to white women. 

Were one to walk about with bare arms on a cloudy day 
they would become blistered. If one walked ten feet without 
head covering, he would be apt to fall from sunstroke as quickly 
as if felled by a blow. 

Bombay, the fourth city of the British Empire, has a popu- 
lation of a million, 15,000 of whom are said to be Europeans, 
but it is doubtful if there be that number of full-blooded whites 
in the city. Of this population, it would be interesting to know 
what percentage wear shoes. Some Parsis do so, others wear 
sandals; but no Hindus or Mohammedans wear shoes, and but 
a small minority are seen with sandals. These are worn only 
while walking, for it is the custom to leave their sandals out- 
side the entrance of a building or home and enter in bare feet. 
No matter where they may be, the sandals are discarded at all 
times when they are not actually walking, and when sitting 
down their feet are partly concealed under them. 

Hindus and Mohammedans do not eat pork, as they consider 



270 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the meat unclean; neither is beef eaten by Hindus. This is the 
reason why beef sells for five cents a pound. A cow is con- 
sidered a sacred animal by the Hindu, and therefore not to be 
eaten. A shoemaker or saddler, or any one working with 
leather, is of very low caste, according to Hindu social rating. 

In the Five Towers of Silence, located on Malabar Hill, the 
Parsi dead are disposed of, the method employed being one of 
the strangest customs practiced. A long, stone stairway leads 
to where the bodies are placed on an iron grating, which takes 
four men to carry it. Here are five cylinders, of three compart- 
ments each, 276 feet around and 25 feet high, resembling a 
circular gridiron, with a depression toward the center. Under 
the depressed portion of the cylinder is a well. Bodies are laid 
on the grating naked — adult males on the outside compart- 
ment, women on the center, and children near the well. Bald- 
headed vultures being numerous in the trees growing about the 
Towers, half an hour after a corpse has been placed on the 
gridiron every particle of flesh will be stripped from the bones 
by these vultures. The skeleton remains on the grating, ex- 
posed to sun and wind, until it has become dry; then the body- 
carriers, with tongs, remove the bones into the well. This 
method of disposing of bodies, instead of by cremation, is due 
to the Parsis regarding fire as too sacred to be polluted by 
burning the dead, and water and earth are equally revered. 
The bones and dust going into the same well is in keeping with 
one of the tenets of their religion — namely, that rich and 
poor must meet in death. The Parsis are followers of Zoroas- 
ter, who is said to have brought sacred fire from heaven, which 
is still kept burning in consecrated spots, while some of the 
temples are built over subterranean furnaces. 

The Parsi has a marked weakness for seeing his name en- 
graved on brass plates or shields or cut in polished granite. In 
order that this whim be gratified, he donates large sums of 
money to worthy benefactions. Their wealth and power may 
be inferred when it is stated that the control of the city of 
Bombay is in the hands of 80,000 out of a population of a 
million. The poor are well looked after, and a high standard 




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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 271 

of morality is their boast. The adoption of European customs 
becomes more noticeable from year to year. The children of 
that race attend the public schools. 

One style of hat or cap worn by the Parsi is of pasteboard, 
covered with dotted white and red silk cloth, in the shape of' a 
horse's hoof. In the center of the cap a conical piece of the 
frame points upward, but not so high as the top of the " hoof." 
That feature of the cap suggests the frog in the horse's foot. 
No rim, string or tassel goes with this odd headgear. Oc- 
casionally a small feather may be seen at one side. Another 
hat having a high crown, is made of cloth, without a rim, save 
for what might be called a cuff around the bottom. His " coat " 
is a long, loose garment reaching to the knees. The Parsi 
horse-hoof hat, with adornment, will yet be well known be- 
yond the borders of India and Persia, for milliners will induce 
their customers to adopt that style of headdress. 

The city is well provided with parks. On the west side is 
a large strip of land, on which English sports, including polo 
games, are common; this park is used also for other forms of 
recreation. Music is provided in this part of the city every 
evening. In another section is located Victoria Gardens, a 
very pretty place, containing a good museum and a creditable 
zoo. Music is furnished in these grounds several times a 
week. 

An interesting type of the varied nationalities of Bombay is 
the fisherwomen, who carry their catch in a basket on their 
heads. They are a different race to the Hindu or Parsi, dress 
differently, wear no head covering, and a sort of skirt they wear 
stops at the knees, the center being caught up by a piece of 
cloth brought between and fastened in front, giving the skirt 
a baggy, trouser-like appearance; from their knees down their 
legs are bare, including the feet. While their occupation would 
suggest untidiness, yet no people in the world are superior, 
in neatness of step and admirable carriage, to the Bombay fisher- 
women. 

It may be of interest to note that Bombay " duck," appearing 
on menus in the Far East, is really fish caught in the Arabian 



272 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Sea, which, after being dried, is shipped to many parts of the 
world. 

Bombay curry and rice is another food seen on menus in 
cities a long distance from the place whose name it bears. A 
gherkin is always eaten with this, the chief food of India. 
Curry and rice is seen on menus all over the country, and it 
is well for one to acquire a taste for it while in India, as it is 
said to be good, and there is always plenty of it. 

" Lac " is used in India to denote large amounts, as a " thou- 
sand " is used in our country. There is a much larger differ- 
ence in the amount, however, as a lac is 100,000. Five lacs of 
rupees, or three lacs of cotton bales, is the way the term is 
used. 

A garrywaller is a cabdriver, but " garry " is the general 
term used when speaking of that class. The term *' waller " 
is used in the place of the word " smith " in the United States. 
It would be tinwaller for a tinsmith, woodwaller for a cabinet- 
maker, saddlewaller for a saddler, and so on. 

Cab fare is cheap in Bombay. The charge for the first hour 
is 25 to 30 cents, and 16 to 20 cents an hour after the first. 
Short trips cost from 10 to 16 cents. One engaging a " garry " 
should know the exact fare before starting, for a driver may 
demand double the regular fare when the journey is finished. 
The cab horses are a hungry-looking lot — like those of Paris, 
France. 

Jewelry and copper wallers form a considerable proportion 
of skilled workers. Copper cups and vases are much used in 
connection with religious customs, and Indian women will 
starve themselves to save money to buy silver ornaments. As 
many as six or eight ankle, wrist, and arm bangles are worn 
by these women, besides heavy pieces of jewelry depending from 
the cars, and flat ornaments covering the mouth. These last 
are attached to a pin that has been pierced through the nose. 
Mothers even have bangles on the arms and ankles of their 
babies. 

An Indian woman's dress is often composed of but one piece 
of cloth — cotton or silk, as the case may be. On the amount 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 273 

of money a woman has at her disposal depends the bulk of the 
dress she wears. The strips of material are sometimes 20 feet 
in length; they are caught up by deft hands and made into a 
full fold, a half fold, or a V-shaped hook design, until a cover- 
ing of what seems an inch of cloth is around the figure, worked 
out in shapes and designs to suit her fancy. None of the women 
wear shoes or hats, the head covering being made of the bolt of 
cloth composing her dress. The brighter the color of the ma- 
terial the better she is pleased. 

Several English daily newspapers are published in Bombay; 
the leading one sells at six cents a copy. Employed in that par- 
ticular office are 1,100 persons, and out of that large force were 
only nine Europeans working in the mechanical departments, 
these directing the work of the several divisions. Here were 
linotype machines and other modern appliances that mark the 
advancement which has taken place in the printing industry 
during the past 25 years. The " aristocratic " workers of that 
office were the linotype operators, their wages varying from $14 
to $18 a month — big salaries for India. A typist or linotype 
operator would not hold a job long in America were he to bump 
down and up the keys of these machines with but one hand ; 
yet that is the way the Indian linotype operator manipulates a 
keyboard. Unlike coolies' hours, the working day in a publish- 
ing house is but eight hours. The wages of other Indian skilled 
mechanics in that office ran from $3 to $8 a month. 

Modern machinery in any branch of industry in India, how- 
ever, is often run at a loss. In a large publishing house a 
modern paper-folding machine had been installed at considerable 
expense. After the machine had been in operation for several 
weeks it occurred to the management there was little, if any, 
financial gain noticed by the results. When the original cost, 
wear and tear and ultimate replacement had been figured out, 
the figures proved that the work could be done 600 per cent, 
cheaper by hand. The folding machine was immediately 
abandoned and the work again done by boys receiving from 4 
to 6 cents a day. 

The Bombay policeman's hat is yellow in color and resem- 



274 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

bles a thick pancake, with a firm rim. He carries a club, and 
a small stick is another symbol of authority. He wears san- 
dals, and is not officious. If he be on a day assignment, his 
time on duty is eight hours. The night policeman has much 
shorter hours — two hours on and two hours off. This un- 
usual practice is maintained owing to an officer being very apt 
to go to sleep while on duty. Mention has been made of the 
weather being hotter at night than in the daytime, which may 
explain the night policeman's tendency to become sleepy. These 
protectors of the law receive $3.25 a month. 

Electric street railways run to every part of the city, but few 
Europeans ride in them. Not long since a white person seen 
riding on a street car would be thought little of, but social 
restrictions in this respect have relaxed to a noticeable degree. 
Formerly Europeans were expected to maintain their position 
by riding in a carriage. Street railway fare is cheaper in Bom- 
bay than in Sydney, Australia — from 2 to 3 cents for a long 
ride. The city is lighted by gas, but it does not reflect much 
credit on the lighting department. 

Every European living in India must be identified with the 
local militia. It matters not whether one be a Britisher, a Ger- 
man, a Frenchman, or an American — all white male residents 
must be instructed in the use of arms. It is the fear of native 
uprisings that demand the training of each European, to be able 
to give the best account of his ability if confronted by hordes of 
blacks intent on the most cruel forms of massacre. A large 
garrison of British soldiers is stationed in Bombay, and even 
a larger number at Poona, 100 miles east. 

The food is nearly the same variety as one gets in other parts 
of the world. One would expect to come across different 
vegetables, but, with a few exceptions, potatoes, beans, peas, 
tomatoes, onions and pumpkins rule the day. One does not 
fare so well with eggs, however, as these are one-third less in 
size than European or American eggs. The Indian breed of 
chickens have long legs and a wide breast, so there is more white 
meat than dark to the Indian fowl. 

Elephanta Caves, located seven miles from Bombay, on the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 275 

opposite shore of the eastern bay, is one of the attractions of 
that city. Caves of this character are numerous in Southern 
India, and most of them are worth a visit. The caves are un- 
derground temples, and the sculpture, as seen in the gods carved 
out of solid rock; pulpits, shrines, and images symbolic of their 
faith, speak well for the people's skill in that art. The roofs of 
these caves are supported by large stone columns. Nothing has 
been overlooked to make these large underground places of 
worship emblematic of their religion, no work or expense having 
been too great to bring about that end. Elephanta and other 
wonderful subterranean temples bespeak the Buddhist faith. 
They were chiseled out in the eighth century. Thousands of 
Buddhists visit and worship in the caves to-day. The Caves of 
EUora, however, are the greatest and most notable. 

One would not expect to find away ofE in Bombay the pretti- 
est railroad station, perhaps, in the world; yet Victoria Station, 
the western terminus of the Great India Peninsula Railroad, in 
architectural beauty, will withstand critical examination. The 
style is Italian Gothic, with Oriental designs. The building 
is elaborately ornamented with sculpture and surrounded by a 
large central dome. The station was built in 1888, and cost 
$i,500,0CK). We know of a number of larger railroad sta- 
tions, but have seen none to compare with its rich architectural 
appearance. Though Victoria Station is the prettiest structure 
in Bombay, other splendid buildings would surprise a visitor 
on his visit to the Parsi city. 

A flat or an apartment for Europeans costs $30 a month. 
Office rent is nearly as high in Bombay as it is in New York. 

Good hotel accommodation can be had from $2 to $3 a day. 
Usually a room is composed of three " compartments " — a sit- 
ting room, dressing room, and bath room, but no running water. 
Hot water for the bath is brought in copper kettles and emptied 
into a wooden tub. It requires three Indians to look after a 
room -i— a room " boy," bath " boy," and " sweeper." The 
room " boy " is of higher caste than the bath " boy," and the 
bath " boy " of higher caste than the " sweeper " ; neither will 
do work out of their caste position. Ceilings are high, and 



276 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

many hotels are lighted by electricity. At sundown the room 
" boy " sees that the bed is enclosed with mosquito netting, sup- 
ported on a frame. Most of the beds are of iron, with modern 
springs. 

One will not be in this city long before the large number of 
black crows, with steel gray backs, flying about comes under 
observation. At daylight their presence is forcibly brought 
home, the medley of " caws " coming from these Indian scaven- 
gers preventing further sleep of a newcomer. 

America was prominently represented here in a sewing-ma- 
chine office, a cash register office, and the ever-present American 
five-gallon oil can. 

The native quarters is a black and busy place. Bombay is 
perhaps more cosmopolitan than other Indian cities. Here are 
seen the Arab, Afghan, Zanzibar negro, Persian, Beluchi, China- 
man, Japanese, Malay, and representatives of other countries 
and other sections of India. Bright-colored clothes appear occa- 
sionally, but the denizens of the native quarters are more naked 
than dressed. The bazaars are located here — the brass work- 
ers, coppersmiths, and jewelers; and here everything native- 
made may be purchased. Candy makers are among the " wall- 
ers " of India, and the smell from these shops and the native 
cooking-places — well, if one were blind, and at all used to 
Indian life, he would know he were in the bazaar by the odors. 

India is the home of the rupee. As stated earlier, its value is 
32 cents in United States money. Then there is the half rupee, 
16 cents; the anna, two cents; the pice, one-half a cent, and the 
pie, one-sixth of a cent. Millions of people in India have 
never had a rupee in their hands, being more familiar with the 
pice and pie coins and cowrie shells, the latter being legal cur- 
rency in some parts of India. The value of cowrie shells 
varies from 80 to 85 to the pie, or 500 to the American cent. 

European data in connection with Bombay and southwestern 
India is taken from the year 1498, when Vasco da Gama, the 
daring Portuguese explorer, sailed around Cape of Good Hope 
to Calicut. Portugal then assumed control of this section for 
twelve years, when it was wrested from her, again coming into 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 277 

her possession twenty-four years later. In 1608 England ap- 
peared on the scene, and in 1661 Bombay was ceded to Britain 
as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza. A few years 
later the East India Company established itself here, and it has 
remained a British possession ever since. 



CHAPTER II 

Our next move was by rail to Baroda, 248 miles north of 
Bombay. The railroad coach was of the compartment type, 
but wide, the road gauge being S/^ f^^t. Fare in India is 
cheap, first-class being three cents a mile, second-class a cent and 
a half a mile for short journeys and a cent and a quarter for 
300 miles or more, and third-class fare one-sixth of a cent, or 
a pie, a mile. To learn what heavy passenger travel is one must 
go to India and note the jammed condition of the third-class 
cars. Natives seemed to travel on railway trains to show their 
friends they had money to spend on luxuries. At certain towns 
a sub-station is located near the regular station, where third- 
class passengers cook their food and sleep until the train arrives. 
If they oversleep, it matters little, as they camp out until the 
next train stops. Some of the coaches are equipped with shower 
baths and luxuriously furnished; all of the through trains are 
lighted by electricity and provided with electric fans. To add 
to the comfort of passengers, ice is carried to cool the drinks. 
The schedule time of some trains is 40 miles an hour. Coaches 
are provided with free sleeping berths, as in South Africa. 

My compartment companion was a sepoy (soldier) and a; 
Mohammedan, who had seen 24 years' military service, and 
spoke fairly good English. He had laid in a supply of food 
before leaving Bombay, and, when eating small cakes, offered 
to share them with his European traveling companion; next a 
cigar was proffered, and, not being a smoker, this kindness was 
also declined. Indians are vain concerning scented water, and 
this sepoy had saturated himself so thoroughly with lavender or 
rose-water that the compartment smelled like a perfume factory. 
He next offered fragrant water to put on my handkerchief, but 
I did not take kindly to his taste. He carried two pillows, and 

27S 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 279 

was disposed to divide these with his companion. Some inter- 
esting facts concerning Mohammedan customs were gathered 
from him during the journey, and when Baroda was reached 
the sepoy asked, apologetically, if his presence had been objec- 
tionable. In answer, he was handed a picture of one of the 
high buildings in New York City. 

One-third of the area of India is composed of what are termed 
native States, the State of Baroda being among these. The 
Gaekwar of Baroda rules over 2,000,000 subjects, and is 
reputed to be the second wealthiest man in India. The richest 
native ruler is the Nizam of the State of Hyderabad (Dec- 
can). 

A much better appearance was oflFered by the Gaekwar's sub- 
jects than by the natives seen in Bombay. Baroda has a popu- 
lation of 100,000, and a street-car line is among the city's attrac- 
tions, the cars being drawn by horses. Away from the bazaar, 
or business center, Baroda is provided with good streets, with 
trees growing on each side. A creditable park is located near 
the city, the grounds containing a museum, an art gallery, and 
a zoo. 

A visit was made to the palace, in which is included the 
legislative halls. We had been through palaces in Europe, but 
the Gaekwar's bed was the most costly seen anywhere. It is 
of solid silver, the posts being two inches in diameter, and every- 
thing else connected with this democratic ruler's bed was fully 
in keeping with the silver frame. Electric fans are placed 
throughout the palace; while mosaic-tiled floors, mahogany fur- 
niture, most expensive rugs, and drapings were also seen about 
this Indian ruler's dwelling-place. The palace is surrounded 
by attractive grounds. 

Native rulers may govern their States, but England really 
holds the reins of power. The ruler of the State of Mysore, 
for instance, had his domain taken from him, but it was after- 
wards returned. That will serve as an indication of what is 
likely to take place if a maharaja opposes England's idea of 
how to conduct her dependencies. The Gaekwar himself was 
scotched by the British whip for turning the wrong way in the 



28a SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

presence of the King of England at the Durbar held in Delhi 
several years since. Previously the Gaekwar's standing had 
been recognized by a royal salute of 21 guns, and seven of these 
were cut oif. He now receives but a 14-gun salute for his un- 
fortunate turn at the Durbar. 

Dak bungalows take the place of hotels in the smaller cities 
of India, but even these are absent in remote towns. In order 
that European visitors to Baroda may not be put to any in- 
convenience concerning accommodation the Gaekwar has built 
a special hotel, called the Rest House. Financially it is a loss, 
but the Gaekwar is too big-hearted to allow his European 
friends to undergo any discomfort while staying at his capital. 

Large monkeys, two feet high, inhabit the trees here. They 
are sacred animals to the Hindu, and, although destroying gar- 
den and flower plants, no Hindu would venture even to strike 
one of the tricky animals. If one of them was killed by a 
European, that person, probably, would not get out of the place 
alive. 

The next stop was at Ahmedabad, where some of the best 
temple and mosque architecture in India is to be seen. The 
city has a quarter of a million inhabitants, and is noted for its 
goldsmiths, jewelers, ivory carvers, lacquer workers, cotton- 
cloth factories, calico printing, gold and silver lace, and other 
industries that require high skill. 

Feeding-places for birds — boxes on posts — ornamented with 
carving and sometimes brightly painted, naturally arouse the 
curiosity of visitors to Ahmedabad. A sect of the Hindu faith 
in this city is known as the Jains ; they erected the feeding-places 
and supply food for the birds. This Buddhist sect believes all 
inorganic matter has a soul, and that a man's soul may pass into 
stone; but it is their concern for animal life, more than their 
other beliefs, that interests. They will not kill an animal, bird 
or insect. To maintain life in flies, bedbugs, mosquitoes, fowl, 
dogs, and monkeys is a strict tenet of their religion; they also 
believe bodily penance is necessary to salvation. This sect 
numbers a million and a half. 

The Jain temple — Hathi Singh Temple — is one of the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 281 

prettiest church buildings we have seen. Though it has not the 
imposing appearance of the Cathedral of Milan, Italy, a view 
of the Jain temple of Ahmedabad will long remain in one's 
mind. The church, built of white marble, surmounted by 53 
domes, will bring to mind, as a poor illustration, the handsomely 
ornamented Christmas or wedding cakes seen in bakers' win- 
dows. Woolen slippers must be worn on entering. The in- 
terior is in keeping with the richness of the exterior. The 
gods in the temple where the Jains worship seem to be made of 
gold, although they may be of brass; they are two feet high, 
and some are ornamented with what looks like precious stones. 

In a mosque of that city there is a marble window, with 
delicate tracery on stone of stems and branches. This beautiful 
craftsmanship is in every detail equal to what one would expect 
if the same design was worked by a deft hand lace-worker. 
The window is six or seven feet across, and of the same height. 
The tracery was executed nearly 300 hundred years ago. For- 
merly there were two, but one was removed from the mosque 
and taken to London, and is now in the British Museum. 

In all the larger centers of India a garrison, or cantonment, 
is located just outside the city, some of them composed largely 
of native soldiers, with European officers in charge. Europeans 
living in these centers occupy homes near the cantonments. 

Ahmedabad streets are well shaded, and some of the houses, 
though none too tidy in appearance, are beautifully ornamented 
on the outside with wood carving. Beggars are numerous. 
A wall, in some sections 40 feet high, with 12 entrances, sur- 
rounds the old city. A good park is another feature, and the 
old wells are an example of art in a high degree in the past. 
The necessity for these wells will be understood when it is 
stated that rain does not fall from the termination of the 
monsoons until rain is again due, a period of eight months; 
but the sacred tamarind trees do not die. All the cities of 
India put one in mind of a rosy apple rotten in the center: the 
outskirts are beautified with nice parks, good roads, and shady 
trees, but the inside is always spoiled by a dirty, bad-smelling 
bazaar. 



28a SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Packs of big monkeys and homeless dogs — pariah dogs, they 
are called — stand on the roads in the suburbs until a horse 
almost steps on them. They are waiting for the Jains to come 
with food. The pariah dog is generally mangy, scaly, starved, 
and half mad when he is not actually snapping. Though a 
menace to human life, if a European were to kill one it might 
lead to an uprising in India. The mortality from rabies is 
appalling. 

Lizards were seen sliding about the walls, crickets were pip- 
ing from the corners, and frogs were hopping about the floor 
of the room I occupied in Ahmedabad. No one of this sect 
will kill a lizard, as he is a house scavenger — puts in all his 
time catching flies and mosquitoes. The lizard is evidently not 
a Jain. 

A 24-hour ride was ahead of us before Agra could be reached. 
The country passed through was as level as a table, with patches 
of rice growing on each side of the railway track. Now and 
again an irrigation trench is seen, and trees in cultivated fields, 
while often separated by considerable space, give the landscape 
a timbered appearance. Four poles, from eight to ten feet 
above the ground, may be seen standing in fields where grain 
is growing, on top of which a shaky platform has been built. 
An Indian is assigned to this ** look-out," to protect the growing 
and ripening crops from invasions of destructive fowl and ani- 
mals. Rice will grow only in from three to twelve inches of 
water. If the monsoons be limited, there will not be enough 
water to grow the rice, and the dreaded famine results. 
Though the monsoons had been good, the people looked half 
starved; so we have no desire to travel through India in a 
famine year. The Indian plough is perhaps an improvement 
on what was in use 5,000 years ago, as it has a pointed iron bolt 
in a stick of wood, but in the murky past the point of the 
plough might have been wood. Oxen, with big humps on their 
shoulders, draw the stick and bolt, and two Indians — gen- 
erally a woman and a man — seem to be required to work the 
device. A long pole sticking in the air, with half a dozen to a 
dozen Indians around — each woman with a baby astraddle her 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 283 

hip — is scaled by two or three men, a cloth no larger than a 
pocket handkerchief about their loins, the top of the pole bend- 
ing to the ground as the men approach the end of it. A sort of 
bucket — generally of earthenware, but sometimes an American 
five-gallon tin oil can — is seen appearing on the surface with 
water dripping from it. This is the windmill of India. When 
the monsoons fail them, this is their only hope of getting water 
from the wells to nourish the rice " paddies," and it is borne on 
the head for long distances for the purpose of maintaining life. 

Very few people drink water in India, as in most rivers it is 
polluted by dead bodies, is used by ** dobeys " (washermen), 
and in other ways made unfit to drink, all of which causes 
typhoid fever. For this reason much whisky, also soda water, 
is drunk. Soda water on trains sells at four cents a bottle to 
a second-class passenger and eight cents to a first-class passenger. 
In this country one pays according to his position for any and 
everything he buys. 

Stations are not announced in India, and noticing " Agra " 
on a board, in large letters, that place being a Mecca for 
travelers, we fell in line with custom and left the train. 

The chief attraction of Agra is the Taj Mahal, the greatest 
tomb ever erected to the memory of a woman, and this in a 
country where women are looked upon as merely servants of 
men. The monument was erected by Shah Jahan, Emperor of 
Delhi, to one of his wives, Mumtaz Mahal, " the pride of the 
palace," as she was termed. Work began on the monument 
in 1630, which was completed in 1652, 22 years being required 
to finish the grand pile of marble. The sum of money expended 
on its erection was $10,000,000. 

The grounds in which the tomb stands are entered by an im- 
posing gate that would be a creditable monument in itself to any 
great personage. When inside, the visitor is confronted with 
a beautiful garden. A marble walk, in black and white, leads 
to the noted monument at the other end, on the bank of the 
Jumna River, where it rises in striking beauty, its stately marble 
dome, marble walls, and marble minarets demonstrating the 
grandeur in architecture for which the Taj Mahal is famed. 



284 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The marble platform on which the tomb stands is 313 feet 
square, and the top of the dome rises to a height of 213 feet. 
At each corner of the tomb is a minaret of white marble, 137 
feet high, delineated by black lines. Some parts of the tomb 
are inlaid with precious stones. Trellis work also plays a 
conspicuous part in this magnificent monument. 

The fort of Agra, built of red sandstone and nearly 70 feet 
high, with a circumference of a mile, contains some magnificent 
buildings of the Moguls, although portions have been demol- 
ished. It was behind these walls 6,000 Britishers took refuge 
during the Mutiny of 1857. The walls of the fort and the 
buildings were erected between 1550 and 1640. Shah Jahan, 
the Emperor of Delhi, who built the Taj Mahal, also erected 
the greater number of fine buildings here within the great sand- 
stone walls. Among the material used in the erection of the 
palaces is white marble with blue and gray veins worked in with 
black marble, and white marble inlaid with mosaic and valuable 
stones, rich reliefs enhancing the design. As in Nero's day, 
there was an enclosure built, in which wild beasts tore each 
other to pieces for the amusement of the Mogul. Artificial 
flowers, made of valuable red gems, inlaid in white marble; 
marble lattice work, treble marble domes, marble fountains, 
walls embossed with gold — practically all marble — beautified 
with red sandstone pillars and splendid vistas, with green par- 
rakeets flitting about the surroundings all the day, may also be 
seen in this grand scheme of architecture. Such elegance, and 
the vast amount of money spent in erecting these handsome 
buildings, contrasted strongly with the dirty, squalid living 
quarters of the poor, low-caste Indian, certainly indicates a 
striking disregard of their interests. 

Here one finds a creditable park, good driveways, shade trees 
and large lawns in front of Europeans' homes. These dwellings 
are bungalows, one storied, high roofed, with wide verandas, 
and often covered with grass or reeds. The kitchen is not in- 
side, but a building in the rear is used for that purpose. Nearly 
every one owns a horse and trap of some sort, and there is a 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 285 

stable included in the buildings. A fence generally surrounds 
the grounds, and the inclosure is called a " compound." 

Agra has a population of 200,000, and the articles manu- 
factured are gold and silver embroidery, carving in soapstone 
and imitation of old inlay work on vsrhite marble. 

The Mohammedan place of worship is a mosque, and the 
Hindu place of worship is a temple. 

A Mohammedan may have four wives, besides concubine 
slaves. The celebration of a Mohammedan marriage costs the 
father of the bridegroom about $150, which is used to buy 
presents for the bride and to furnish a feast for friends. Any 
prospective father-in-law attempting to shave that sum would 
be thought little of by the bridegroom's acquaintances. Mo- 
hammedans bury their dead, but use no coffin. They place the 
corpse on the bottom of the grave, build over a frame, which 
is covered with timber, cloth or stone, and then fill in earth. 
Prayers are offered five times a day — at sunset, nightfall, day- 
break, noon, and afternoon. All work is abandoned at time for 
prayers. Mohammedan priests use their voices to summon 
worshipers to prayers, because Jews and Christians use bells 
and trumpets for the same purpose. Mohammedans believe 
in a resurrection, heaven, and hell, but also believe there is a 
separate heaven for women. The Koran forbids the drinking 
of wine or eating of pork. This sect wash their hands, mouth, 
and nose before eating or praying. Mohammed, the prophet 
of Allah, was bom in Mecca, Arabia, 570 A. D., his father 
being a poor merchant. Sixty-three million of the population of 
India are Mohammedans, and the Mogul dynasties prevailed 
from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. 

Unlike Mohammed and the mountain, if one does not go to 
the Indian bazaar the bazaar is brought to him. On a visitor 
leaving his room, there will be spread before his door on the 
wide veranda silk shawls, silk dress goods, and souvenirs of the 
place ; also waiting are snake charmers, jugglers, photographers, 
" dobeys," tailors, shoemakers, barbers, guides, hackmen, fel- 
lows offering themselves as servants — all making salaams — 



286 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

speaking in a low voice, but persistently following their business 
instincts. One never finds himself at a loss for some one to do 
whatever he wants done. An Indian may not be within sight 
or sound, yet if one should make his wants known, the man he 
requires will immediately appear as if having come out of the 
ground. It is said that no secret can be kept from the native — 
he seems to have the power of extracting any treasured thought 
from the mind of a European. 

Since leaving Bombay we had not seen a sidewalk. 

We now head northward for Delhi, the country continuing 
flat, with the same scenes, save for a deer appearing from grain 
fields on several occasions as the train rolled along. Every time 
the train stopped a native approached a coach that contained 
high-class Indians or Europeans. He was a " boy " servant, 
waiting to learn if his master needed his services. Nearly every 
one traveling in India takes a " boy " with him, as it gives a 
person a better standing with both natives and Europeans. 
The wages for these servants range from $5 to $7 a month. 
If one rides first-class, the servant rides free in the third-class 
cars. His duties are to wait incessantly on his employer, look 
after the baggage, and act as interpreter for a European who 
cannot speak the native language. When in a city the " boy " 
is no expense to his master, as he provides himself with both 
food and lodging. 

Delhi, the old walled capital of the Moguls, is under course 
of rebuilding for the ninth time in its history. Calcutta was the 
capital of India until 191 1, when the seat of government was 
changed to Delhi. Seven years was the time allotted in which 
to build the government offices. Owing to the prevalence of 
malarial fever, and the intense heat of the plains, two capitals 
are maintained. Delhi is the official city for five winter months 
of the year, and Simla, in the Himalayas to the north, the sum- 
mer capital for seven months. In one of the burnings and 
sackings of this city, in 1756, Nadir Shah carried away with 
him treasure amounting in value to half a billion of dollars, in- 
cluding the Koh-i-Noor diamond. For a distance of six to 
eight miles south of the city, pillars, earth depressions, and 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 287 

crumbled walls attest the onetime greatness of the new capital. 
Delhi was founded by the Aryans more than a thousand years 
before the Christian era, but modern history dates from the 
year 1200. This city became British territory in 1803, and 
a quarter of a million people live within its lines. 

The financial year of married Europeans in India is nearer 
eighteen months than twelve. Owing to one's business, a city 
home must be maintained, and another, in addition, in the 
hills — as the mountains of India are termed — for the wife 
and children, for six months of the year, thus supporting a city 
home twelve and a mountain home six months. The heat of 
the plains is so trying to European women and children during 
the summer that they must go to a cooler climate. Seldom 
are white children over 10 years of age seen; they are gen- 
erally taken to Europe at that age to receive schooling and to 
acquire a sound constitution, thus burdening the husband with 
more expense. Few Europeans become wealthy in India. 

From eight to twelve servants are required for a European's 
household. The servant custom is maintained, even though 
there is only a Sahib and Memsahib in a family, and one finds 
what seems a surplus of servants about each home. In addi- 
tion to the head servant, there is a cook and dishwasher; the 
husband and wife each have their separate " boy " ; also a 
gardener, and the " sice," who looks after the horse ; a servant 
to cut grass for the horse, that not being the work of a " sice " ; 
a water-carrier, and a night watchman, or " chokeedar." Each 
child in a household would have a nurse. The wages of these 
servants range from $2.50 to $5 a month. One Indian will 
not do the work of another — he will do only certain things 
he was engaged to do. One often hears of tyranny of labor 
unions in America, but the system in vogue in India of getting 
work places labor unions in the United States in the light of 
philanthropists by comparison. 

An acquaintance who had been many years in India told of 
his traveling by stage through a district inhabited by high- 
waymen. The friend he had left assured him he need have no 
fear of danger, as one of the gang of outlaws would be on the 



288 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

seat with the driver. While passing through the highwaymen's 
lair the vehicle was stopped by the bandits a number of times 
on plunder bent, when the member of the gang who had been 
engaged to accompany the vehicle would say the word, and 
travelers were allowed to proceed. That is another way In- 
dians have of getting work. 

It would be hard to find more attractive surroundings to any 
city than the section of Delhi north of the walls. Parks, good 
roads, monuments, and shade trees are in evidence. Among 
the interesting features of Delhi is the monument to John 
Nicholson, the Mutiny hero. It is a fine shaft of red granite, 
with a bronze bust of the great soldier. The inscription, strik- 
ing in its simplicity, is: "John Nicholson." Four thousand 
brave white men were lost in the siege of that city. 

Shah Jahan, the Mogul Emperor who built most of the rich 
buildings in the Agra Fort and palace, and also the Taj Mahal, 
built the Mogul Fort and Palace in Delhi between the years 
1638-48. He was every inch a king, so far as spending money 
lavishly goes, as another building in the Fort, 90 by 60 feet, 
built wholly of white marble, was inlaid with precious stones, 
and the ceiling was of silver. One flooring a building with $20 
gold pieces in Shah Jahan's day evidently would be looked 
upon as a cheap imitator. The great value of some of these 
buildings is still in evidence, several being preserved; but de- 
spoilers, during the mutiny, ruined much of the beauty of the 
palace which Nadir Shah left after he had carried away the 
Koh-i-Noor diamond and half a billion dollars in treasure. 
Some of these palaces are used to-day as messrooms and for 
other purposes by British troops. 

Some of the splendid mosques here s^yarm with beggars. 
If a guide takes a visitor to these he is allowed to go no further 
than the entrance. At some of the churches shoes must be taken 
off in order to enter, and at all of them the shoes must 
be covered, generally with canvas slippers. Money has to be 
given to the fellow who puts on and ties the slippers. The first 
usher takes the visitor to one portion of the church, and when 
he has reached the end of his territory another usher takes his 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 289 

place. At these boundary lines a fee is expected. When one 
reaches the outside he has paid six fees, and even there he comes 
in contact with sundry professional beggars. The guide, in the 
meantime, must be paid, and the garry waller as well. But 
such fees in India are not heavy, and hack fare is only from 
15 to 30 cents an hour. 

A prayer offered in a mosque is equal to 500 offered else- 
where, and one prayer offered at Mecca is equal to ioo,(X)0 in 
other sections. 

The Kutab Minar, one of the grandest monuments in the 
world — a tower of victory — is located seven miles from 
Delhi — where the capital once stood. It is another of those 
wonderful works of the Moguls. Its height is nearly 350 feet, 
and the width of the tower at its zenith is nine feet. The 
diameter of the base is 47 feet, and it tapers perfectly from that 
measurement to the top. The first three stories are of red 
sandstone, with semi-circular and angular flutings. The noble 
monument has five stories, the two upper ones being faced with 
white marble. Balconies are built at the base of each story of 
the tower, from which a good view may be had. 

As in Italy, holidays are numerous in India, and no work is 
done on a holiday. It is on these occasions that the curtain is 
raised and a broader insight of the people is obtained. Were 
one to collect all the brightest colored cloth manufactured, and 
specially arrange these to give the most gorgeous effect, the 
kaleidoscope would not surpass what is seen in Delhi — in all 
India, in fact — in raiment worn by the people on holiday 
occasions. 

I stood on the Chandi Chauk, the principal street of Delhi, 
while a holiday j)rocession passed. It took many hours — 
daj'-s, on certain occasions — for the hundreds of thousands of 
people from that section to squeeze their way through the street, 
and every coping, balcony, roof and window above the street 
contained as many human beings as the space would admit, 
all dressed in gaudy cloth. High-caste Indians, dressed in 
silks and velvets, rode in handsome carriages, drawn, in some 
instances, by snow-white horses; lower-caste citizens rode in 



290 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

traps, with seating space on the sides, and drawn by donkeys 
and oxen; throngs of barefooted, serious-faced natives mingled 
among these, walking; further down the emblazoned street 
could be seen a brown head appearing above the people, oxen and 
horses — a camel, between high shafts, drawing a high-wheeled 
wagon, the occupants being concealed by a large closed box, like 
a van; this contained Mohammedan women. Hundreds of 
low palanquins, their dark curtains extending from the roof 
down the four sides, borne on poles, between which were two 
men at each end, flitted in and out of the narrow streets; these 
also contained Mohammedan women. The big Afghan, or 
Kabuli, with his baggy apparel and full beard, also mingled in 
the procession. Taboots, a fantastic design of mosque and 
pagoda, the framework made of poles and covered with bright- 
colored paper, lavishly decorated with tinsel and gaudy orna- 
ments, passed by, drawn by devotees of the Moslem faith. 
Blare, grotesqueness, weird music from strange instruments, to- 
gether with the air of melancholy, induced by the beating of the 
Oriental tomtoms — all very strange indeed. Holidays often 
last a week, and some even extend to ten days. 

Army officers relate interesting stories of that country. For 
nearly a century elephants had been used to move army trans- 
ports. The food of the elephants was large cakes made of 
wheat, and a dozen was a meal. The mahout, or cook, might 
take a portion of the flour from the apportioned quantity and 
keep it for his own use. Before eating the cakes, the elephant 
lifted this food on his trunk ; if the cakes were short of his regu- 
lar portion, he would set the food down and would not touch 
it. A white officer, inspecting the animals at feeding-time, 
seeing that the elephant did not look sick, would weigh the 
food, and in every instance the scales verified the elephant's 
refusing to eat because he had been cheated. 

Indian women often cooked the cakes for elephants in a mud 
fireplace, and the big beast would sidle to where his food was 
being prepared. The basket for the woman's baby to rest in 
was made of twigs, and a bent bamboo pole served as a handle 
to the Indian " cradle." The Indian mother would slip the 





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handle over the elephant's trunk, and the to-and-fro motion 
of the beast would rock, or lull, the baby to sleep while the 
mother cooked the elephant's meal. 

House rent in Delhi is higher than in New York City. The 
rents were increased a hundred per cent, when it was decided 
to remove the capital from Calcutta. 

A number of European stores were found in the capital. 
Drug stores do the best business in India, as well as in Africa. 



CHAPTER III 

We did not go farther north at this time, but traveled east- 
erly to Aligarh. A college is located here, some 1,200 students 
being in attendance. This seat of education was erected and is 
maintained by a wealthy Indian. It is non-sectarian, and Mo- 
hammed, Hindu, Jain and all other sects take advantage of the 
liberality of the benefactor. Strange as it may seem, the edu- 
cators are Europeans, and the language of the institution is 
English. 

An American mission is located several miles from Aligarh, 
and the Europeans living in that city and district get their 
bread from the mission. Few people take kindly to eating 
bread made by Indians, as they have so many skin and con- 
stitutional diseases and untidy habits that one does not know 
what ailment he may contract from eating native-made bread. 
A creamery is located near the city also, owned by a Swede. 
Like the bread, Europeans prefer European-made butter, and 
as a result there seems room for another white-conducted 
creamery. 

Living in this section is a remnant of a former wild tribe, 
who existed from plundering and were being hunted by the 
authorities most of the time. The Salvation Army obtained 
permission to use an old fort as a mission, and most of these 
highwaymen have found peace within its walls, being indus- 
triously engaged in weaving silk. This section of India is 
termed the Doab. 

All white men in India own an evening-dress suit, generally 
worn at dinner in their own homes. 

Every one carries a lantern at night. Snakes are so numer- 
ous and so poisonous that one's life is in danger. Some of the 
Indian snakes are small, are very dangerous at night, and their 

292 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 293 

bite is almost certain death. The fatality from bubonic plague, 
cholera, typhoid fever and rabies is appalling, yet it is said more 
people die from snakebite in India during the year than from 
any other single cause. 

The most commendable feature of India that came under 
observation was the free service of the bhisti (bee-ste), or water- 
carrier. Men engaged in that occupation have a guild, or 
union, and the rules of the organization forbid them making 
a charge for water. The carrier's water-bag is made of leather, 
in the shape of an inverted pig, and contains from six to eight 
gallons. A strap is tied to both the hind and front of the pig- 
shaped bag, which stretches across his right shoulder, the bag 
being on the left side. A stopper is placed in the mouth of the 
bag, which the carrier holds with his left hand. A cloth is 
worn about the loins, and his legs are bare to the ground. He 
usually wears a shirt, with short sleeves, and his head is covered 
with a bulky piece of cloth wound round and round. Most of 
the bhistis are bent forward and lean to the left, which is ac- 
counted for by their carrying the bag on that side. He is a poor 
man, but will serve water to either man or beast in need. He 
is generally found about railway stations and other places where 
large numbers of people congregate. Thirsty children may be 
seen running to the bhisti, with empty cups in their hands, for 
water, when he withdraws the stopper, places the spout above the 
cup, and releases the thumb of his left hand at the mouth of the 
bag, filling it. The happy child drinks and walks away. 
A mother, with a water vessel in her hand, calls him, when he 
pauses until the woman catches up with him, and then supplies 
her need. The Indian mother might leave with him a pie 
(one-sixth of a cent). As stated earlier, rain does not fall in 
India at certain seasons of the year for periods of from five to 
nine months, and water is water during most of that time. 
Should the water-carrier pass an ox, a goat, a dog, or a horse — 
anything in need of water — he at once eases his thumb on the 
spout of the bag and relieves the suffering. He might call at 
a compound with his bag full, and the master of the bungalow 
would direct him to sprinkle the parched garden. After doing 



294 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

so he walks away unless called to receive pay. The bhisti, in 
short, practices what Red Cross societies aim to accomplish, and 
what churches profess to do. He is the one star that shines 
brightly through the dark, traditional sky of India — a mes- 
senger of life in a land of suffering and death. 

Clay cups, saucers, plates, bowls, and buckets are made in the 
college city, the smaller vessels containing oil, with a cloth dip 
added. Cities are aflame with these on certain holidays, and 
from remote sections millions of clay-saucer lights burn through- 
out the populous country. 

Garlands are placed about the neck of guests when invited to 
partake of an Indian's hospitality, these often extending to the 
waist. They are made from flowers, leaves, paper, cloth, and 
on occasions are composed of gold lace, and even more expensive 
material. 

No hotel or dak bungalow was found here ; but on visiting 
places without these conveniences, even if one be a stranger, 
some European will extend an invitation to stop at his home. 
European hospitality is another bright light that shines in this 
dark country. 

Wherever a few Europeans are found, a little English church 
has been erected, and a bell will be heard ringing every Sunday 
morning. 

Cawnpore was the next stop. The first thing that attracted 
attention was dust, which seemed six inches deep, quite a cloud 
arising from it. When we left Bombay, sidewalks and paved 
streets were left behind. This city has a population of 200,000. 
It is a leather manufacturing place, and cotton mills are also 
quite numerous. We visited Cawnpore chiefly to see the his^ 
torical Massacre Well. 

Cow fat on cartridges, a desecration of the Hindu religion 
— the cow being a sacred animal to the people of that faith — 
was the fuse that ignited the mutiny bomb in 1857. Uprisings 
by native troops had taken place at intervals for ninety years 
previous, during which the domains of rulers had been taken 
from them, higher pay for the sepoys refused, and pensions to 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 295 

the deposed rulers' heirs cut off, the army being composed in a 
large degree of high-caste natives. 

Nana Sahib, heir to a ruler who had once been head of the 
Mahrattas, was among those who did not succeed to the pension 
his adopted parent received, $400,000 a year. At that time 
40,000 British soldiers were in India and 240,000 Indians, 
drilled in warfare by British officers. At Cawnpore there were 
but 200 British soldiers, 30 officers and 3,000 sepoys. On June 
6 General Wheeler, who was in charge of the British troops, 
was warned to expect an attack — the siege had begun. The 
ground was so hard that good trenches could not be built, and 
the dirt was so dry it would not pack. Nine hundred, the 
majority women and children, took shelter in the crude trenches. 
Nana's forces were well armed, and a murderous fire came from 
the enemy. The barracks of the besieged comprised two build- 
ings, one of which had a thatched roof, and the well from 
which they got their water was exposed to the enemy's fire. 
The thatched roof was set on fire and burned, and the occupants 
were daily exposed to a sun varying from 120 to 140 degrees. 
Deaths were taking place every day, and bodies were buried in 
another well close to the barracks. An armistice was finally 
agreed to after a 20-day siege, during which 250 out of the 
900 died. 

The terms of the armistice were that the British should leave 
their guns and treasure behind, and that Nana Sahib would see 
them, unmolested, to the river, where boats would be ready to 
take them down the Ganges to safety. Four hundred and fifty 
were left, and the boats were beached on bars of mud in the 
river. Instead of being towed down stream, a murderous fire 
of grapeshot and musketry opened on all sides. The boats were 
covered with thatched roofs, and, these taking fire, many of the 
deceived survivors were suffocated by the smoke of the burning 
grass. Following, the sepoys jumped into the water and butch- 
ered others of the party. At last the Nana's heart temporarily 
softened, and he ordered that no more women should be killed, 
and about 125 women and children, wounded and half drowned, 



296 SEVEN Lf:GS ACROSS THE SEAS 

were then taken to Cawnpore. The men on the boats were 
murdered. 

In two weeks' time General Havelock had reached Cawn- 
pore with 2,000 soldiers. A week later an engagement took 
place, in which the Nana sul^ered a crushing defeat, and at a 
second engagement the mutineers were again defeated. The 
Nana, learning that Havelock would soon be reinforced, or- 
dered the captives to be killed. The few men who were among 
the women and children were brought out and put to death in 
the Nana's presence. A party of sepoys were then ordered to 
shoot the women and children in the building in which they 
had been placed, but the soldiers fired at the ceiling of the 
room. The Nana, being in a rage at his men refusing to shoot 
the white women, ordered a party of butchers to put an end 
to the captives, and a short time after entering the house his 
orders had been carried out. Next morning all the bodies were 
thrown in an adjoining well — since that time termed the 
Massacre Well. This took place on July 15, 1857. 

In the center of a beautiful garden a mound covers the well 
into which the bodies of the 125 women and children were 
thrown. On the mound is a memorial in the form of an octag- 
onal Gothic screen, in the center of which, on the actual well, 
is a white marble figure of the Angel of the Resurrection, with 
arms across her breast, as if resigned to the Almighty will, each 
hand holding a palm, the emblem of peace. Over the arch is 
inscribed, " These are they which came out of great tribulation." 
Indians, except park workers, are not allowed in the Mem- 
orial Gardens. If they were, some of them might be taken to 
hospitals from time to time, we fear, as Europeans feel bitter 
after having visited the Massacre Well. 

Twelve years is the legal marriage of girls in India. Girls, 
however, have a partner selected for them as early as two years 
of age, and, if they do not wish to live with their husbands at 
the legal age, they are taken from their father's home by force. 
No matter how young she may have been when the parents 
married her, she is the man's wife from that time. Should the 
husband die after marriage, the girl, according to Indian custom, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 297 

cannot marry again. She may be a widow when she is 8 or 10 
years of age. She is looked down upon, her hair sometimes cut 
off — in short, she becomes the drudge of the family. She is 
charged with having done some very bad thing which caused her 
husband's death. Nothing is worse treated than a Hindu 
widow. Fathers receive from $25 to $200 for their daughter 
from the husband. Mothers 20 years of age will have " mar- 
ried " daughters seven and eight years old. 

If a poor Hindu were eating his portion of rice, or other 
food, and a European happened to pass between him and the 
sun, causing his shadow to flit over the native's food, the 
hungry creature would not eat it, firmly believing it had been 
polluted by the white man's shadow. Natives eat with their 
fingers. 

Were a man or woman to drop in a faint, or from any cause, 
they would prefer to die before accepting nourishment from 
one of lower caste, and certainly no one of higher caste would 
lend aid. Only one of similar caste could relieve their con- 
dition. 

Indians consider Europeans filthy who use a tooth-brush 
more than once. They use a twig or sliver of wood that has 
been chewed to a bushy end; it is thrown away after using. 
People who eat pork are considered worse than dogs. 

Men who wear trousers and shirt place the shirt outside 
the trousers. Those who wear shoes have no socks. 

Long, canoe-like boxes on cart wheels were in evidence in 
Cawnpore. The oxen were hitched to a crosspiece at the end 
of the shafts, while Indians, behind the oxen, were between the 
shafts and pushing with their breasts against the crosspiece. 

A European carpenter shoves a plane from him, but an In- 
dian carpenter pulls the plane toward him. Mechanics do most 
of their work sitting, and use their toes as a vise between which 
to hold a board while planing it. Before shoeing an ox, the 
beast's legs are bound with rope, when the animal will be 
thrown. The blacksmith then shoes the ox while he is sitting 
down. The Indian can make as convenient use of his toes 
as he does of his fingers. 



298 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Lucknow, next visited, is well provided with large tracts of 
park space, splendid roads and good shade. The city has a 
population of 300,000, and among this number were more Eu- 
ropeans than at Cawnpore. Several good European stores 
have been established, and these seemed to compete successfully 
with the native merchants. 

This city shared with Cawnpore in the horrors of the 
Mutiny, as 3,000 souls were behind the historic walls of the 
Residency when the siege began, and when relief came there 
were less than a thousand alive. 

Bedding is not generally furnished by hotels in India. Fre- 
quently, the " bed " is only a bedstead and springs, or, as will 
be found in smaller centers, strips of cowhide, lashed at sides, 
top and bottom, answer for springs; again, there is a mattress 
on the springs, but no bedclothing or pillows. At other times, 
only one sheet over the mattress, and nothing else. Owing to 
this unusual custom, a bag for carrying bedding is generally 
included in travelers' luggage. The contrast between India 
and Germany in this respect is very marked, as at a small hotel 
in Berlin at which I stopped the bed had a sheet and a feather 
tick for a covering. It was summer-time, but the covering 
would answer for Arctic weather. In one case the sheet was 
not sufficient covering; in the other the tick was too much. 

One is more successful in beating down hotel rates in thi?! 
country than anywhere else. It is a place of haggle and barter, 
and the business system aims to make a customer feel he has 
got the better of the bargain, while the seller is satisfied with 
his profit, although having come down from the original price 
one-half. There is always doubt whether the customer really 
has got the better of the transaction; but there is no question, 
however, about getting a concession, when, after a hotelkeeper 
has asked six or seven rupees a day, the traveler pays only five 
rupees ($1.60) a day. It seems to break an Indian boniface's 
heart to see a prospective guest go to another hotel. 

" Babus " are men engaged at clerical work, and one has to 
scan his hotel bill closely before settling, as a babu may add an 
item to the laundry list or for ice, or even charge for other 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 299 

things that go with hotel accommodation. Many persons will 
overlook a small charge, and well the babu knows it. Extras 
belong to him. 

The hotels are generally of one story, and all doors open on 
to a covered veranda. Almost every one has a servant — a 
" boy " — with him. Early in the evening and during the 
night, in front of room doors, may be seen one, two and some- 
times three " boys " sleeping. If their master or any European 
should pass where they are lying they hurriedly arise in their 
blankets, salaam and bow, then immediately lie down again, 
remaining thus until another European footstep is heard, when 
up they jump, offer another salaam, and quickly settle down 
again to sleep. As few Indians wear shoes, they know when 
an European is approaching. 

When leaving a hotel there will be four to six servants help- 
ing the guest and his luggage into a conveyance. As most of 
them look alike, it becomes necessary to ask each one what part 
he played in adding to one's comfort while making his stay. 
In answer to who's who, one will say he is the table " boy," 
another the room " boy," another the bath " boy," and yet an- 
other, the sweeper. Others are also present to see one com- 
fortably on his way, but gratuities may be limited to four. 
Three rupees — a dollar — proportionately divided among the 
four is generally given for a week's or ten days' stay. 

On entering the native quarters — the bazaars — of the In- 
dian cities one is generally escorted by " runners " of silk mer- 
chants, brass manufacturers, lacquer merchants and others. 
A friend and myself rode on a two-wheeled trap, the seat fac- 
ing backward; and as we entered one of the arteries of the 
Chauk Bazaar the crowd of people and merchants' runners 
that filled the narrow street from house wall to house wall was 
so dense that the garrywaller gave up trying to proceed further. 
It took us some time to reach the entrance on foot. No holiday 
was being celebrated — this was an every day occurrence. 

In all the cities of this section are sports grounds, a race 
track, a church, and public library for Europeans. A large 
cantonment is located in Lucknow. 



300 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The country over which we had traveled was so flat that it 
looked as if there was no necessity for grading or cutting in the 
railway of even two feet for a hundred miles. The " wind- 
mill," the stick-and-bolt plough, the irrigation trench, and an 
occasional tree; the oxen, with humps on their shoulders; the 
mud huts; the sparsely clad and half -starved natives were 
scenes of similarity from Lucknow to Benares, the sacred city 
of the Hindu. Benares is to the Hindu what Mecca, in 
Arabia, is to the Mohammedan. 

One beholds beggars, beggars, beggars — repulsive looking 
specimens of humanity — and pariah dogs inside and outside 
the temples; some of the enclosures of the temples alive with 
monkeys and goats ; cattle standing munching in front of golden 
images of Hindu gods, up to their fetlocks in yellow flowers 
and tender leaves; bony and poorly dressed women flitting in 
and out of narrow allej^s and through doorways into temples, 
carrying a brass or copper water-pot full of Ganges River water; 
vagabond priests on the " ghats," resting on a platform covered 
with a large sun-shade, receiving money from very poor people 
for making clay marks on their forehead — caste marks — all 
sacred! Beastly and idolatrous would be a better term to 
apply to Benares. 

Two-thirds of the population of India — 207,000,000 — are 
followers of the Brahmanic faith, and even one of the lowest 
caste believes he is a unit in the great universe as compared to 
an Indian who has no caste distinction. 

People of the Brahmanic faith come from all parts of India 
to bathe in the Ganges River at Benares, which, by the way, is 
nearly as muddy as the Missouri River. Their hope of a 
peaceful hereafter is strengthened by a visit to the sacred city, 
but the poverty and suffering entailed through spending money 
for the trip by those living a great distance away is keenly felt. 

At Durga, or Monkey Temple, which is surrounded by high 
walls, 350 monkeys were climbing up the sides of the church, 
scampering about the walls, but always keeping an eye on the 
visitor. Upon entering the temple enclosure a priest insists on 
one buying popcorn or other food for the monkeys; then a 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 301 

second priest slips a garland of flowers over one's head, another 

method of getting a little money. Besides monkeys, mangy 
dogs come close, expecting popcorn, and impudent goats rub 
their noses against visitors' clothes. The temple is painted an 
ocher color, symbolizing the character of the god Durga — 
blood. Many beggars were inside the enclosure, and were very 
numerous outside. Everything about the place bore an air the 
reverse of sacred or solemn. 

The Golden Temple, hidden among many buildings, is the 
most important to pilgrims. Three domes, covered with plates 
of gold over plates of copper, ornament this structure; the floor 
is said to be inlaid with 100,000 rupee pieces ($32,000;. A 
narrow alley runs in front of the temple, and only two persons 
can pass at a time. Flower stands, and men selling flowers, are 
plentiful about the entrance and along the passageway. Inside 
the building are several shrines; in front of one stood a 
Brahmani bull, and in front of another a Brahmani cow, both 
animals having humps on their shoulders. Near the shrines 
peacocks and deer were also seen. People were streaming in 
and out of the temple all the time, those going in carrying a 
water-pot, made of brass or earth, filled with Ganges water, 
and a handful of yellow flowers and tender leaves, bought out- 
side. The flowers and leaves were fed to the bull and cow, 
and the worshiper sprinkled the water over himself while pay- 
ing homage at the shrine. All the time a din from cymbals, 
tom-toms and other harsh instruments was kept up, sounding 
more like a boiler factory than anything else. Every one was 
in bare feet. Most of the men wore only a loin cloth, and the 
prominent ribs and other bones of their bodies suggested a 
doubt of their ever having had a square meal. Around the 
women's ankles were rings, around the wrists were cheap glass 
or pewter bangles; the ears contained cheap ornaments, and a 
gewgaw pendant hung from the nose over the mouth, secured 
to the nostrils' partition. At every point of vantage beggars 
and fakirs were as thick as flies. The constantly inpouring 
crowd and weird music is kept up the whole day, year in and 
year out. There is nothing doubtful about the sacred water 



302 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

— every drop is taken from the historical river and carried to 
the temple. In some of the shrines is an image of a monkey, a 
cow, a peacock, or a double-headed beast of awful appearance; 
and gods in flaring red represent fire and thunder. All the 
time priests are collecting money from the worshipers. 

Many professional loafers, known as " jojees " or devotees, 
are seen in India. They will hold up one of their arms for 
years until it has become rigid and the fingernails have grown 
and twisted about the hand like roots; some hang by one foot 
from a pole, like the flying foxes of Tonga; or distort then> 
selves in other unnatural positions. This is done in accordance 
with their supposed religious belief as bodily penance, and they 
are looked upon as martyrs. Some of them have ashes on their 
bodies, which they sell, mostly to women. Rice and money are 
thrown to these knotty-whiskered, filthy fakirs by poor people 
who really cannot afford the gifts, but who think they are doing 
a religious act. 

The view of Benares from the Ganges River is an unusually 
fine one. On the high banks at this point stone steps have been 
built leading from the top to the water. Above the steps and 
banks stand attractive temples and palaces. At certain times 
of year the temples are used by pilgrims who come from every 
point of India to worship. Sections of the steps have proper 
names, which are called " ghats " — used for the English word 
place, as Dandi Ghat (place). 

Over a million pilgrims journey to Benares each year, where 
they bathe in the Ganges as a purifying tenet of their religion. 
Among others, there is a small-pox ghat, where those suffering 
from small-pox may bathe, in the hope of being healed; also 
bathing ghats for other diseases, where purifying rites are 
carried out. On each ghat are several raised platforms, having 
large sunshades, where men, their legs half curled under them, 
are sitting. Every one leaving the water stops at a platform, 
where caste marks are made on their foreheads, each supplicant 
leaving money with the marker. Some have no money coins 
and leave cowrie shells instead. These markers are priests. 
The pilgrims then wend their way to a temple and worship 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 303 

either an idol painted red, having three eyes, a silver scalp, or 
an elephant's trunk covered with a yellow bib ; the figure of a 
rat ; a monkey of brass, wood or iron, or some other image. At 
the temple the faithful make another donation, tom-toms, cym- 
bals and other instruments playing meanwhile to awaken the 
gods of wood, brass or stone. 

A few hours after death a body is brought to a burning ghat, 
men being covered with a white sheet and women with a red 
cloth. Smoke from a dozen to fifty pyres may be seen rising 
from the ghat, and the ashes are thrown into the Ganges just 
below. The fuel for a pyre costs $1.60; wealthy Indians use 
sandalwood for this purpose. Children of five years of age 
and under are not cremated, their bodies being cast into the 
Ganges, with a weight attached. " Holy men " of the church 
are not cremated ; they are either buried or, like the children, 
cast into the Ganges River. 

Every pilgrim, on leaving Benares, takes with him a quantity 
of Ganges water, though he may live a thousand miles away. 
Were a European to touch accidentally a pilgrim's water-pot, 
the Hindu would feel that the sacred water had been defiled. 

Caste customs in India forbid intermarriage of one with 
another; they must not eat nor drink together; must not par- 
take of food prepared by a lower caste, and shun even touching 
the clothes of those beneath them. Were an Indian merchant 
to adopt the Christian religion, his business would probably be 
ruined, his home possibly be surrounded by a mob, and he would 
be fortunate to escape with his life, having degraded his caste. 
A man may be poor, and yet of a higher caste than some wealthy 
Indians. 

^ Women, with two blanks in their heads, may be seen beg- 
ging in many places. To raise her head when out walking as 
a man passed is considered a violation of a wife's vow by her 
husband, for which offense their eyes are sometimes literally 
gouged out. High-caste women keep very much to their homes. 

A white woman would be thought little of by her servants 
were she to do domestic duties, such as dusting and putting a 
finishing touch to the interior. Here are instances of how 



304 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

helpless some Europeans become when in India: Were a man 
to brush his own clothes, or even lace his shoes, these acts would 
prove sources of unfavorable comment by the servants. A man, 
wanting to know the hour, sometimes calls, his " boy " ; the serv- 
ant takes the watch from his master's pocket, holds the time- 
piece level with his employer's eyes, replaces the watch in his 
master's pocket, and leaves the room. When keeping an ap- 
pointment with a servant, the master must not be punctual, but 
keep the servant waiting. If the Sahib was punctual, and the 
servant happened to be late, the master would be looked down 
upon for waiting for his minion. 

The cow is revered, not only owing to its service in main- 
taining life by its milk, but because some of the Hindu sects be- 
lieve that, after death, they will be borne across a river on the 
back of the cow to a better country. Hindus who do not wear 
long hair have a tuft growing from the crown, or a little be- 
low that point. In case the cow should fail to be on hand to 
take him across, a mysterious arm is supposed to reach down, 
take hold of his tuft of hair, and by that means place him in the 
better land. One would be disgraced were the tuft of hair 
removed. 

Much of the ornamental brasswork seen in many parts of 
the world comes from Benares, for which the Hindu Mecca is 
famed. Small idols and images in brass or other materials are 
made in large quantities. The brassworkers sit down while 
turning out their product. 

Ruins of the temples of Benares are. located at Sarnath, five 
miles from the city; these evidences of the past are seen in 
crumbled walls and earth depressions. Brick and stone was 
the material used in building, but the brick was much thinner 
and longer than the present-day block. The most striking re- 
mains standing of the ancient city is the Dhamek Stupa, or 
tower, which consists of a stone basement, 93 feet in diameter, 
the stones being clamped together with iron bands to the height 
of 43 feet. Above that point the tower is of brickwork, ris- 
ing to a height of 128 feet. Niches built in projecting faces of 
the tower contain the figure of Buddha, and encircling the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 305 

monument Is a band of sculptured ornaments of much interest. 
There is some doubt among authorities as to whether the stupa 
has stood all these years; it is the only building of the ancient 
temples at present standing. Another stupa, not as massive as 
the Dhamek, was passed before reaching the ruins. At one 
place among the crumbled temples is the Main Shrine, the whole 
standing on a concrete foundation, with a rail on the upper 
part of the altar. Close by is the Asoka Pillar, which is broken, 
but was at one time 50 feet high, and is believed to mark the 
spot where Buddha preached his first sermon. 

Excavations are under way all the time at Sarnath, and a 
museum located at that place contains a large variety of inter- 
esting fragments of the early Buddhist temples. 



CHAPTER IVi 

A START was next made for the Himalayas in a northeast- 
erly direction, seldom traversed by persons going to that section 
of the mountain country. I was the only white man on the 
train, and in view of few European travelers taking this route 
no provision had been made for food. The third-class coaches 
were packed with natives. We passed through the opium poppy 
growing country, the sugar-cane and indigo fields, and, further 
along, reached the jute-growing country in Bengal. The train 
had left Benares in the morning, but it was twelve hours later 
before food was available. 

At a place known as Katihar I had to remain a day in order 
to make through connections. One of the sub-stations, located 
a short distance from the railway track, was alive with pas- 
sengers, but no one seemed to really care when the trains came 
and went. Natives , eating rice, wheat cakes, bananas, sticks of 
sugar-cane, thick pieces of candy, rolls like crullers, smoking the 
hooka (a long pipe with two bowls, through one of which, 
containing water, the smoke from the tobacco or hemp passes to 
the stem), gambling, begging; the big Kabuli — who looks like 
a storm in silent mood — offering for sale alleged rare coins; 
women with one to three very small children, all untidy and 
dirty — such is life in India. 

The train left Katihar in the evening for Silliguri. An 
Englishman got in the same coach, and I was much pleased to 
have a white man with me. This train was not lighted by elec- 
tricity, and there were doubts about the oil in the lamp being of 
American brand, for the light went out before we reached the 
second station, and when the train stopped the Englishman could 
be heard shouting from the coach for some one to relight it. 
The trainman had got no further than the rear of the train, 
when the lamp gave a final flicker. The Britisher again began 

306 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 307 

to shout, but the train was then moving. The three following 
stops were a repetition of the first, and, the Englishman finally 
admitting his defeat, we stretched out on berths for the night. 
Most trains in India have berths in the passenger coaches, but 
every one furnishes his own bedding. The next morning found 
us at Silliguri, and in front were spread out the Himalayas. 
From here a start was made up the mountains. 

The Himalaya Mountains rise abruptly out of the flat plains, 
a striking contrast to those of other countries. One would ex- 
pect the base of the Indian mountains to be at an altitude of 
3,000 to 6,000 feet, but Silliguri, located a few miles from 
where the ascent begins, is only 400 feet above sea-level. 

The interior of the Himalayas is reached by means of a train 
of small cars, drawn by a ten-ton locomotive over a two-foot 
railway track. There are three classes of travel — first, second 
and third. First-class fare is 12 cents a mile, second-class 6 
cents, and third-class 3 cents. These fares include a very small 
baggage allowance. First- and second-class coaches are of the 
compartment type, third-class having curtained sides, with bare- 
seated benches across. The schedule is ten miles an hour, either 
going up or coming down the mountain. 

The engine soon starts up an incline through a row of trees 
on both sides of the track, with every seat in the coaches oc- 
cupied and the baggage car filled with luggage. The narrow 
train turns to the left, then to the right; another sharp turn, 
and puflf, puff, puff, as a bend in still another direction is made ; 
down a decline next over culverts spanning rippling brooks and 
under turnpike bridges, then up, when the grandeur of the great 
range begins to unfold. Down grade again, the train stopping, 
after traveling but a comparatively short distance, at a precipi- 
tous wall. Backing out over a switchback — there being five of 
these on the mountain railroad — we next creep up a steep, ser- 
pentine grade. Houses above and houses and huts below, sur- 
rounded by semi-tropical growth and cultivated ground — there 
being little rock in the mountain — with stretches of low brush, 
laid out in regular rows, below us, appear. A house and huts 
have been built in these bush-like tracts of land; these are tea 



3o8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

gardens. A screeching whistle diverts the passengers' gaze from 
downward to forward — we were pulling into Kurseong, the 
halfway station, where some passengers get off and others 
board the train. The locomotive, being supplied with coal 
and water, again begins to puff, puff, puff, up a steep grade for 
a short distance, then eases down a decline. The mountain is 
now so steep that the narrow train can worm its way no longer 
about the side, coming to another switchback. Backing out and 
again ascending, a silver streak is seen, far below, winding over 
the plains — the Teesta River. Above, the sky appears to rest 
on green mountain-tops. Upward the little locomotive climbs, 
seeming to make sharp bends at every hundred feet. The moun- 
tainside has now become a great tea plantation, and through 
the hazy atmosphere the plains are but dimly seen. The sky, 
which from below seemed to be resting on the point now reached, 
is further beyond. Approaching an ever-receding horizon at 
distant outposts from time to time leads one occasionally to 
fancy he were bumping his shoulders against the arch of the 
sky at sundry points of the outer circle. The narrow train 
laboriously continues upward, while passengers direct their gaze 
down gaping caverns, on the rim of which the railway track 
sometimes rests. Further on, the grade gradually reducing 
until traveling on a short, level stretch of road, the train stops. 
We have reached Ghoom, the highest point on the line, where 
more passengers leave and others get out of the coaches to 
stretch their legs. Oh ! a great white ridge, high above valleys 
and tea gardens — it is Mount Kinchinjanga, whose summit 
seems to intrude far into the sky. What seems like trespassing 
on the sky's domain is explained when the height of the moun- 
tain is made known — 28,156 feet. The train again proceeds, 
but down grade now, still winding and twisting — not over a 
quarter of a mile straight track along the route — until a sharp 
bend is reached. Then, as far as the eye could reach, the high, 
white, stalwart peaks of the Himalayas were revealed in their 
grandest form. Further on the train stops. We are at Dar- 
jeeling, the end of the mountain railway, 50 miles from Sil- 
liguri. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 309 

Baden-Baden, Germany — where one can walk about the 
splendid grounds for half a day and need not be exposed to the 
sun half an hour — had appealed to me more than any other 
place visited during my journeyings until Darjeeling was 
reached. Here in the State of Sikkim, India, 20,000 feet below 
the grandest mountain range in the world and built on the 
woody sides of a lower range, are seen rippling streams on their 
way to a parent river ; attractively laid out tea gardens on steep 
inclines; a panorama of dwellings spreading out to all points 
of the city; deep, wooded valleys on either side, with rivers 
coursing these, flanked by flowering orange groves; parks, bo- 
tanical gardens, and shady paths cut on the hillsides ; observation 
points and splendid vistas; then, seen through the blue atmo- 
sphere, over low mountains, valleys, hills and trees, Jalapa La 
Pass — 17,000 feet above sea level — the route through the 
Himalayan fastnesses to Lhassa, Thibet; and, now seen and 
then unseen, as the many-shaped clouds flitted over and away, 
the noble galaxy of white mountains, half circular in form, to 
the front and to the right — Darjeeling can claim and deserves 
a better description. 

Everything seen in the mountain city was different to the 
plains. The Bhutias, of decidedly Mongol cast — strong, 
lighter in color than the plainsmen, with rosy cheeks — were 
numerous, and it was good for tired sight to get away from 
slender, half-starved looking men, and women without eyes. 
Living in this section is another sect, or tribe — the Goorkhas 
— admired by all white men for their bravery and feared by 
natives. The water here was fit to drink, a luxury in India, 
and the air was free of the humidity of the plains ; the haughty 
Bengali could be seen at nearly every turn, strutting about 
bareheaded, his hair tidily brushed; and well-groomed European 
military officers were galloping about the hillside roads and 
paths on spirited steeds. 

The Bhutia woman is the " horse " or " ox " of Darjeeling. 
Like the Mkikuyu woman, she carries her loads in a basket, a 
strap fastened to each side, which loops on her forehead. Few 
level paths or roads are found in that section of India, but the 



310 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Bhuti'a woman can carry two maunds (i6o pounds) in weight 
up from tea factories miles below, and the same amount of coal, 
provisions, or supplies from the cities to the settlements on the 
mountain-sides and down to the valleys. She appeared as 
strong as a Zulu woman, but not so big. The country is so 
hilly that wagons can be drawn over it only in few sections. 
Bhutia men are employed at ricksha work or carrying palan- 
quins. On account of the steepness of the surroundings, three 
Bhutias are required to pull and push a ricksha — one between 
the thills and two at the back of the vehicle. Seeing the Bhu- 
tias wearing boots was something unusual in this country. 
Brakemen, engineers and firemen employed on the mountain 
railroad do not wear shoes, and the same applies to natives en- 
gaged at the same occupation on the plains. 

"Coolie, Sahib?" or "Coolie, Memsahib?" if man or 
woman, is the language of the Bhutia woman when seeking 
work. Going toward the market-place, one of these strong 
women, with strap about her head and basket held by the ends, 
will approach a person and quietly say, " Coolie, Memsahib ? " 
" Yes," was the reply one received from a lady on her way to 
market. The Mongol woman followed, engaged in knitting 
socks. After vegetables had been bought, the Bhutia woman 
sidled to the dealer, turned her back, when the grocer placed the 
vegetables in her basket; but she kept on knitting, apparently 
unconscious of what was taking place. One will not look back 
to see if she is following when leaving a stall; but at the next 
vegetable stand, in another section of the market, the Bhutia 
woman would be standing a short distance away, still knitting. 
Every time articles were bought she turned her basket to the 
dealer, had these added to the earlier purchases, and when the 
marketing was finished she followed the memsahib to her home, 
emptied the contents in the kitchen, received four cents for her 
work, continuing with her knitting, as she zigzagged down a 
steep incline in the direction of the market district. Bhutia 
women are very unassuming in their manners. Some save 
money, but most of this is spent on jewelry. Discs of gold as 
large as the bottom of a saucer may be seen depending from the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 311 

cars, and large silver or gold bangles are worn about the wrist. 
This weakness for display, however, often proves their down- 
fall, as they are sometimes found dead along the mountain 
paths, stripped of every ornament. 

Thousands of men and women are employed picking tea leaves 
during the season. The tea is picked from the bushes mostly 
during the monsoon season, as the new leaves sprout fast during 
rainy weather. They work in wet clothes much of the time, 
but the mountain natives are hardy, and pay little attention to 
such discomfort. Men tea-pickers receive eight cents a day and 
women six cents. Hut rent, garden, and medical service is 
free. Over 3,000 bushes grow to the acre. Sunday is a big 
day with these mountain natives ; every one working on the tea 
plantations for miles around comes to town — Bhutians, Thibe- 
tans, Nepales, and other tribes — when the market-place and 
bazaars literally swarm with them. In the Darjeeling district 
are 60,000 acres of land under tea cultivation, and the output 
is nearly 20,000,000 pounds a year. 

The Goorkha is what is known as a " hill man," and is small- 
built. He carries a short sword or long knife in a sheath at 
his side, but will not show the weapon. It is an old maxim 
with the Goorkha that blood must be drawn every time he 
unsheathes the knife. Were he assigned to duty by a captain, 
and a colonel wished to pass, the Goorkha would not allow the 
superior officer to go through the lines if he had not received 
orders to do so by the officer who gave him his assignment. He 
acknowledges only one order — that of the officer who gave it, 
be he high or low. Where the big Sikh would run or sur- 
render under a galling fire, the Goorkha, knowing no fear, 
would advance and win a battle. His highest aim in life is to 
have marked after his name when dead, " Died in action." 
When mobs gather and a riot is threatened, if Goorkhas are 
assigned to the scene and instructed to quell it, every one seeks 
cover when it is announced, " The Goorkhas are coming." In- 
dians well know the Goorkha order will be followed. He is 
the policeman of Darjeeling. 

** The only supplies that reached the starving people of India 



312 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

during the famine were those sent from the United States," 
was the refreshing information gathered from an Englishman 
when touching on Indian matters. The supplies he referred 
to were kept from native officials and looked after by American 
representatives. Men get rich in India during famine years 
through selling relief supplies at a high figure — sent to be dis- 
tributed free to the starving. Very few high-caste Indians have 
any feeling for the suffering of a poor or hungry native. 

One eats five times a day in India. Tea or coffee is brought 
to the room generally before one is up ; breakfast is served from 
nine to ten o'clock; luncheon at from one to three o'clock; tea 
at from five to six, and dinner from eight to nine o'clock. 
Band music, bioscope, and other amusements take place, but are 
finished before dinner. In hot countries Europeans bathe from 
one to three times a day. 

Along the bank of a river, stream, or pond may be seen dozens 
of Indians doing their washing, and clothes spread out on the 
grass to dry. They are soaped and rolled together and juggled 
in the hands of the " dobey," and the next stage sees the same 
fellow slamming them, with all his strength, against a rock. 
One would look a long time for a washboard in India. 

A trip was made to Tiger Hill, six miles from Darjeeling, 
from which point of observation is seen the summit of Mount 
Everest, rising to a height of 29,002 feet, located in the State of 
Nepal, India. The space intervening between this point and 
Everest is over 100 miles, and only a tip of the apex of this, 
the highest mountain in the world, appears to view. But even 
a peep at that premier pile of ©arth, rock, ice and snow will 
partially satisfy the heart of one who yearns to see nature's 
best in its varied forms. Everest, as seen from Tiger Hill, is 
flanked by a peak on each side, both of which appear superior 
to the king of mountains ; but that delusion is accounted for by 
the two plainer-appearing sentinels being much nearer to the 
point of observation than the center white peak, Everest. It 
is hard to believe that, if Mounts Cook, Ruapehu and Kosciusko 
were placed one on top of the other, the combined height of the 
three Australasian mountains would be lower than the dome 




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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 313 

of Everest; or that, if Mount Aux Sources was lifted on top 
of Kilimanjaro, these African mountains would be only slightly 
higher than Everest. Also, that if Jungfrau was raised on top 
of Mount Blanc — two prides of the Alps — Everest would be 
only a few hundred feet lower than their combined height ; and 
were two of the most noted mountains of the Western Con- 
tinent — Shasta and Ranier — piled one on top of the other, the 
culminating point of these would be several hundred feet below 
the climaxing point of Everest. Then, from the corner of the 
eye, while focussing the gaze on Everest, an imposing white pile 
of grandeur — Kinchinjanga — second only to Everest, tempts 
one to divert his view to its plainer seen and noteworthy propor- 
tions. About Kinchinjanga, which rises its icy dome 28,156 
feet above sea-level, clusters a noble family of sons, the Hercules 
of mountains. Janu comes first, towering to a height of 25,304 
feet; Kabru next, 24,015 feet; then Simolchun, with 22,270 
feet to its credit, and Pandim, 22,017 feet. There are still 
other noble peaks in the Himalaya range, plainly seen from this 
viewpoint, that appear small when associated with the greater 
monuments of nature's buildings. 

All the natural agencies of earth, and those under the earth, 
could not impair the grandeur of Mounts Everest and Kin- 
chinjanga. A fierce attack of wind and storm would only 
amuse these giants, as the summits would be enjoying sunshine 
during the day; in the afterglow, from the frosty flakes on the 
snowy domes, would irradiate soft, golden gleams of light, and 
at night from these flakes would also sparkle blue-white beams 
— reflected from the stars above — while the elements would 
be vainly centering their forces at invulnerable parts below. 
Lightning could not disturb even a pebble on these climaxing 
monuments, for ice and snow is so deep on their summits, and 
for several miles below, that the rock-like, glacial crust would 
prevent the forked thongs from penetrating to the surface soil. 
Earthquakes might center their rending powers at these stu- 
pendous vouchers of God's greatness, but the result, if any, 
would be merely deep, wide breaches, so cleaved, mayhap, as 
to form the design of the Cross or other holy emblem on a 



314 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

prominent escarpment, and serve only to enhance their present 
nobleness to a greater degree of reverence. And if the fires 
under the earth should unite to destroy these Colossi of the 
Himalayas, mustering every vestige of force and centering all 
into one tremendous avulsion — the fires' fury finally suc- 
ceeding in forcing vents at the vertexes of these sky-piercing 
peaks — even then, thus riven, Everest and Kinchmjanga would 
gloatingly belch from their crowning domes rivers of liquid fire 
and eject prodigious quantities of flaming rock and scoria, 
spreading broadcast their sulphurous outpourings for hundreds 
of miles around, their lurid streams coursing the sides — all of 
which would only serve to draw people from every section of 
the world to gaze on the fascinating and appalling spectacle, 
that would measure second only in widespread flare at night to 
heaven's own aurora in the early morning. 

The term " timber-line," referring to mountains, means the 
limit of altitude at which vegetation grows. Timber-line in 
the United States is marked at altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 
feet. On some peaks, this line, often of stunted oaks six to 
twelve inches in height and one to three inches thick, is as 
decided as a steel band around a circular smokestack. Here 
and in Thibet, in an atmosphere refreshed by high, snow-capped 
mountains, the force of the sun is apparent by trees, and even 
vegetables, thriving at altitudes of 15,000 to 18,000 feet. 
Helmets must be worn in the hill regions, as on the plains, to 
protect one from sunstroke. 

The blue atmosphere — the sheen of the sky — in the Hima- 
layas is of a deeper color than that seen on the Blue Mountains 
of Australia. The only place where a similar atmosphere was 
observed in America was from Grand View, when looking into 
the marvelous maw of the Grand Canyon of Arizona. 

Vegetation on the lower mountains was different to that of 
the plains. The magnolia was seen, also the oleander, the 
chestnut tree, and the oak; but the bark of the latter tree was 
different in color and shape to that of the American variety, 
although the acorns were the same. 

A large number of British troops are stationed at Darjeeling, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 315 

and three forts have been built on the sides of a mountain facing 
Thibet. Not even a goat could get through Jalapa La Pass 
if the guns of these forts were trained on the noted mountain 
passageway. 

Darjeeling is a favorite vacation center for the people of 
India, both European and native, in the summer season. In 
addition to the natural attractiveness of this place, there is also 
a museum and a library. Splendid mountain trips are at one's 
selection. 

Down the two-foot wide mountain railway we traveled to 
Silliguri, boarded a passenger train, and were soon speeding 
over the flat plains of Bengal, with Assam to the east. Palms 
grow in that section of India, and the limbs at the bottom of 
the bushy tops had been freshly cut and seemed to be scraped. 
The native drink — " toddy " — is partly made from the juice 
of the palm after fermentation, when it is used as an ingredient 
with distilled rice. Hemp, or jute, reeds were lying in pools 
of water along the railway track to soften, when the fiber 
would be stripped from the stalk and later made into rope. 
Sixteen hours after leaving Silliguri the train pulled up at 
Sealdah Station, Calcutta, the second largest city in the British 
Empire. 



CHAPTER Yi 

Calcutta, although having a population a quarter greater 
than Bombay, does not measure up to the Parsi stronghold in 
architectural appearance. Still, one of the best muncipal parks 
in the world, the Maidan, is located in the center of the city; 
it is two miles long, one mile wide, and is bounded on one side 
by the Hooghly River and on the other by one of the principal 
streets of Calcutta, Chowringhee Road. The Maidan is orna- 
mented by splendid monuments to men who took part in the 
various mutinies, and those who, in the opinion of the British 
government, wisely and bravely guided the affairs of this 
country. 

We had again got to where street cars were running, where 
newspapers were published, masts on ships were to be seen; 
hotels with two or more stories, electric lights, and big build- 
ings, also sidewalks — in short, we were in the largest city of 
India. Fourteen hundred miles separate Calcutta and Bom- 
bay. 

Street cars appeared better patronized by Europeans here 
than in Bombay. There are two grades of travel to the city 
cars — first and second class. The fare was cheap, first-class 
three cents and second-class two cents. 

Calcutta is better managed than Bombay, notably, fewer 
beggars are allowed on the streets; and some features that do 
not add credit to a city were under better control. Official 
firmness in other ways was also noticeable. It was in the Prov- 
ince of Bengal that the mutiny started, in 1857. 

Modern machinery — linotype machines, web presses, and 
stereotyping appliances — is in use on the daily newspapers of 
Calcutta, and very creditable newspapers are published. But 
there is little saving in modern machinery in India. An over- 

316 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 317 

seer of one of the printing plants stated that they installed the 
linotype machines only to be modern, but that there was no 
saving, in view of hand help being so cheap. The wages paid 
run from $8 to $18 a month. The same applies to flour or 
rice mills. Women may be seen in any part of India turning 
two stones with which the rice and wheat are ground into 
flour. 

This city has a good business appearance, over 200 factories 
being located within a short radius, a number of rope or jute 
mills among them. Beside this native product, tea, opium, 
grain, indigo, raw silk, and cotton are exported from Calcutta. 
Some of the streets are literally packed with ox carts loaded 
with these articles of export. Horses are used only for cabs, 
oxen being the beasts used for vehicular traffic from one end of 
the country to the other. As in Bombay, the joints in oxen's 
tails have been broken so often by the drivers twisting them 
that they resemble threads of a large wooden screw. 

The Black Hole of Calcutta, into which 146 human beings 
were forced on June 20, 1756, and out of which 23 came alive 
the next morning, does not compare in savagery with the Mas- 
sacre Well at Cawnpore. Suraja Dowlah, the Nwab of 
Murshedabad, had placed the 146 prisoners in the building, the 
remainder of the British having made good their escape. Con- 
trary to general belief, the building called the Black Hole was 
not a dungeon, but merely a lock-up for disorderly soldiers. 
The prison, 22 feet long by 14 feet wide, was too small for 
such a number of people. The time being June, torrid at this 
season of the year, will account for the deaths. No butchering 
took place, the detention was for but one night, and, to give the 
Nwab his just due, the tragedy was unintentional, according to 
some historians. Part of the space where the old prison stood 
has been taken for a large building, and the portion not oc- 
cupied has been covered with black marble — the incident in- 
scribed on a slab of marble above — surrounded by a high, 
black wire fence. 

The Hooghly River, so called by Europeans, but termed 
Ganges River by natives, is a busy water\yay, and the sea, or 



3i8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Bay of Bengal, is not reached until a distance of 80 miles from 
Calcutta has been traveled. This river is a large one, the water 
muddy, and very treacherous for navigation. The same style 
of craft seen at Bombay — the dhow — is the ship of the 
Hooghly, and is similar to that in use thousands of years ago. 
It offers a picturesque, though archaic, appearance. Hooghly 
water is considered sacred by the Hindus living in this sec- 
tion, 

Calcutta is not as interesting as Bombay, but there are three 
things in the premier city of India that attract — the Maidan, 
museum and botanical garden. Another feature, well known 
throughout British territory, is the racecourse. The museum 
is a splendid building facing the Maidan, and located on the 
principal street; the collection would do credit to even larger 
cities than Calcutta. The zoo is a good one, some native 
rhinoceros here seeming three times heavier than the African 
breed. 

The botanical garden contains the great banyan tree, the re- 
markable feature of which is that roots grow from the limbs of 
the tree downward, take root on reaching the ground, and then 
grow into the earth like a tree that starts from the ground. 
From these aerial roots growing downward now stand over 
200 trunks. The tree is not high, but spreads widely, the dis- 
tances separating the outer limbs from one side to the other 
being 330 feet. The space Intervening Is studded with tree 
trunks that, when young, had started from the limbs they now 
support as props. The form of the banyan growth Is circular, 
so would be over 300 feet across from outer limb to outer limb 
from any point. Around the circle of limbs the distance is 
over a thousand feet. It Is a beautiful tree, and well worth 
going to see. The botanical garden Is splendidly laid out, and 
contains many strange varieties of growth. 

European merchants have secured a foothold In Calcutta, 
and a visitor Is surprised to see the fine stores and large stocks 
of goods carried. Even European barbers are found here, a 
rarity In India. 

Some European women, unfortunately, have married titled 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 319 

Indians in the belief that a son or daughter would inherit their 
father's possessions and title. High-caste women in India are 
seldom seen walking about, as custom forbids such freedom; 
so, after the European bride reaches her husband's country, her 
life is that of a semi-prisoner. Her husband may be only a 
rajah, with title outweighing rupees, in which event her home 
might be located behind an odorous bazaar. Should she bear a 
daughter, little is thought of the event, but should she bring a 
son into the world she is very fortunate, if life by that time 
has any charm for her, if she and the son do not accidentally 
die in child-birth. Such a contingency as a Eurasian inheriting 
an Indian's title and estate is not to be thought of. Her hus- 
band will have a native wife in addition to his white wife, and 
should the latter fail to bear a son he would take still another 
native wife, and should there be no male issue from the second 
native union he may take yet a third native wife. Where a 
titled Indian is not succeeded by a direct native heir the custom 
of adopting heirs is common. A white wife's offspring, how- 
ever, has no hope whatever of becoming the reigning heir. 

The Eurasian is half Asiatic and half European. His social 
standing is really pitiable, as Indians hate him because he is 
neither Indian nor European, and white people, for the same 
reason, do not encourage social equalitJ^ 

Kali Ghat, or Kali Temple, located some distance from the 
business center of Calcutta, was dedicated to Kali, the wife of 
the god Shiva. It is a terrible place. Mercenary priests, eager 
to obtain a fee, almost fight for the privilege of showing one 
about the gruesome premises. Two posts, a space of eight 
inches separating them, were raised from the ground three feet, 
through which holes had been bored to correspond. Two pins 
were put through the holes of both posts. To the rear was a 
shed, in which were standing at least a hundred half-grown male 
goats. The posts were located close to the entrance of the 
temple. A goat was brought to the posts, the upper pin pulled 
out, the goat's head placed between the posts, when the pin 
was inserted in the holes, the space between the pins — about 
four inches — preventing the goat from pulling his head back- 



320 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

ward. A brass pot, containing water, rested on the ground, 
from which a man took a handful of water and sprinkled 
it on the goat's neck. This was Ganges water — holy water. 
Without ceremony, the man who had sprinkled the neck of the 
goat swung a big knife over his head, and when it was brought 
down the goat's head was severed. A woman squatted 
at the trunk end of the severed neck, with a brass cup in her 
hand, catching the dripping blood. When the first flush of 
blood ceased she quickly arose and literally ran to the temple 
entrance. Inside, she offered the blood sacrifice to the god Kali. 
All the time weird-sounding gongs and music came from the 
interior of the temple, the heads of goats being severed at fre- 
quent intervals in front of the entrance, each having been bought 
by the disciple making the blood offering. From that scene the 
priest takes a visitor to the burning ghat, and in the instance 
related there were six pyres consuming dead, but none of the 
" mourners " looking on gave the slightest intimation of grief. 
Two hours' time is required for burning, and the price of wood 
for that purpose was $1.15. The ashes are thrown in a lagoon 
of the Hooghly, or Ganges, River. Church holidays in India 
are called " pujas," and great crowds frequent Kali Temple on 
certain puja occasions. 

Large numbers of native babies are mortgaged before they 
are born. The country swarms with baniyas, or money-lenders, 
who are a curse to India. Parents who wish to visit Benares, 
the sacred city, borrow money to defray expenses of the trip. 
Weddings often cost a considerable sum for poor people — 
from $25 to $150 — and, in order to maintain their caste posi- 
tion, people borrow the necessary rupees. Famine years, sick- 
ness and other causes also force the people to borrow money. 
The rates of interest are very high. Land in India is of heredi- 
tary ownership, and rajahs and maharajahs charge a high rental 
to the worker. An income tax of 12 per cent, is collected on 
a yearly income of $300 and above. 

Saugar Island is located at the delta of the Hooghly River, 
and Hindu widows wend their way in large numbers to what 
the Hindu avers is a sacred bathing place. As stated earlier, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 321 

widows are held responsible for the death of their husbands, 
although the wife might be but five or six years of age when her 
husband died, and living with her parents, and the husband 
from 20 to 60 years of age, having other wives. The tradi- 
tional, withering contempt and inhuman disregard for these 
creatures cause widows to resort to any form of deprivation, 
degradation and self-punishment — some of which are having 
their hair shaved to the scalp, although they prize it highly; 
cast any money and jewels they may have into the ocean, if a 
crafty priest does not catch the arm and obtain, and retain, the 
treasure before it leaves their hands; bathe in the waters, even 
though the breakers be mountain high, knowing they will be 
swallowed by the sea; trudge from holy shrine to sacred altar 
in various parts of India — all in the hope that their sacrifices 
and atonement may satisfy the wrath of the gods they are sup- 
posed to have provoked by taking away from earth the husband 
who bought them from their father. A Hindu widow is 
thought much less of than a pariah dog; she is the most pitiable 
object on earth. 

Leaving European and official sections of Calcutta, one comes 
to street after street without sidewalks; with heavy ox-cart 
traffic; natives as thick as flies, but no white people about; the 
usual vile odors coming from the bazaar section; bony, half- 
dressed, ragged people at every turn — all with somber faces. 

The native of the Province of Bengal is the proudest man in 
India, and is said to need watching in transactions of every kind 
more than those from other parts. He seldom wears head- 
covering, his hair is smoothly dressed, he is erect, and walks 
with a pompous stride. One can always tell a Bengali, as he 
appears neater in appearance than Indians from other sections. 
His looks betoken his thoughts, for he entertains the opinion 
that he is the essence of human kind in India, or even of the 
world. As in all other cities of this country, the streets were 
poorly lighted at night. Calcutta is a new city compared to 
other places in India, as it dates back to only 1690. 

There being no rickshas in Calcutta, one of the means of get- 
ting about is by palki, an upholstered box, seating one person. 



322 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The box rests on poles, and four coolies — two at each end — 
the poles resting on their shoulders, lift the palki and fare and 
start off at a trot. They receive 12 to 20 cents an hour for 
carrying a person — three or five cents each. 

After crossing the Hooghly River bridge, a railway train was 
boarded at Howrah Station, a modern and creditable building, 
for Madras, over a thousand miles southward. The trains on 
that road were not as good as some we had traveled on in other 
sections of India, but sleeping berths were included with the 
equipment. The Indian reminds one of the American negro 
in one respect — that of sleeping. He seemed to be at home 
in any place, so far as sleep is concerned, for in the coaches 
during the day the berth would be taken down in the compart- 
ment, and, slipping ojff his sandals, he would soon be fast asleep. 
One peculiar feature of this sleeping tendency, however, was 
that he would always be awake when the train reached his 
destination, as stations are seldom announced. 

Save for hills in the distance, the country was as flat as any 
passed through while traveling over the Doab and other sec- 
tions. Sugar-cane was one of the crops seen during the journey, 
and peanuts was another. 

After 40 hours' travel the train stopped some distance out- 
side of Madras, as passengers had to be examined by a doctor 
for disease indications, and the train was detained until that of- 
ficial duty had been gone through. In most countries boat pas- 
sengers must undergo a medical examination when reaching 
port, but it was the first time we had been subjected to a railway 
train examination. This precaution was taken to keep out 
bubonic plague. 

The conquest of India by England, as it may be termed, had 
its inception in Madras, for in that city British merchants first 
established themselves. The East India Company grew more 
powerful as time passed, first acquiring sections of land and 
later provinces. The founding of the East India Company 
dates back to 1639. This section of India is known as the 
Southeast Presidency, and is presided over by a governor, ap- 
pointed by the King of England, Madras being the capital. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 323 

Madras, with a population of over half a million, is the 
prettiest city in India we have seen. The River Cooum winds 
its way through the Tamil metropolis by a very circuitous 
route, and the land for some distance along the banks has been 
reserved for parks. The government buildings are attractive, 
shade trees are numerous, and the city is abundantly supplied 
with parks and driveways. We had reached the sea again. A 
splendid drive and promenade has been built on the shore of 
the Bay of Bengal. 

The natives in this part of India are known as Tamils, and 
it is from here the Indians in South Africa and those in Fiji, 
and possibly those in the United States, came. The reader 
will have gathered from my earlier notes an idea of some of the 
miserable creatures encountered during the journey, but the 
Tamils met with in Madras, those with whom one comes in 
contact in the nature of servants, ricksha pullers, and that class, 
were the worst in all India. One would no sooner have stepped 
into a ricksha than the puller would place his hand on his 
stomach and then to his mouth, which meant he was hungry. 
No doubt they were in need of food — a majority of the people 
of India are not half fed — but the striking feature of Madras 
was that every one who did anything for a person was practically 
a beggar. 

The first Christian church built in India was St. Mary's, In 
Madras. Elihu Yale, the benefactor of Yale College, is identi- 
fied with St. Mary's by his presenting to that building one piece 
of the church plate. The United States also is represented by 
a splendid Y. M. C. A. building of red sandstone, the benefactor 
being a noted merchant. 

It is really surprising, when one visits a city like Madras, so 
far away from the more enlightened centers of the world, to 
find such a large number of colleges and other means of educa- 
tion there. In addition, this place is well supplied with a 
Y. M. C. A. building, libraries, club buildings, churches of 
various Christian denominations, a museum, a zoo and an 
aquarium. The same applies to the larger centers of India in 
general, but not in such proportion as those of this city. 



324 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Titled Indians, when visiting England, are sometimes re- 
ceived by the King and Queen, and are next entertained by 
lesser royalty, this attention being given much publicity in the 
British press and also cabled to other continents. But in India 
the social lines are not so flexible. European clubs in the Far 
East are popular centers of association, and a native sovereign's 
application to become a member of one of these, though com- 
posed even of European clerks, would very likely receive 
unfavorable consideration. 

The punkha is the fan in general use in India, except that in 
some hotels in the larger cities electric fans are in service. 
Rods or ropes are secured to screw-eyes driven in the ceiling, 
and to the end of these a pole or wire is fastened that extends 
across a room. Canvas or palm leaves are attached. This 
covering, which falls from the pole a foot to eighteen inches, is 
the source of air when moved. There may be a dozen of these 
" fans " stretching across a large dining room ; and tables are 
placed under the punkhas. These are connected by a string 
or wire running from the first to the second punkha, and so 
on. A stout rope, tied to the first punkha, is placed over a 
small pulley in the wall or partition, extending outside the build- 
ing. An Indian, unseen, pulls the rope, when the fans in the 
room move, and air will be stirring. Frequently the punkha 
puller dozes off, when the fans will move slowly. One knows 
then he will soon be asleep. 

Thousands of half -starved coolies, nearly naked, with a 
squatty basket made of bamboo strips in their hands or on their 
heads, may be seen in any section of India. That basket is his 
" work-box," in which he carries anything required. 

An umbrella is the sign of authority in this section of the 
world where a group of natives are engaged at work. Whether 
the weather be wet, cloudy, or clear, the Indian foreman is 
known by his holding an umbrella. 

A finger bowl is placed at the side of every plate when serving 
food in India. 

The word " calico " had its origin in India. The city of 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 325 

Calicut, whence the word calico is derived, was a cotton goods 
manufacturing center in early times. 

Madras, the third largest city in India, is composed mostly of 
Hindus, and where that sect is found the sacred cows and bulls 
will be in evidence, as well as the miserable widows, the burn- 
ing ghats; the mothers who give their young daughters to de- 
praved priests who persuade the parents they will gain special 
favor in the sight of the gods for so doing ; the goat-slaughtering 
places, the idols of monkeys, snakes, and other characters, and 
juggernaut cars. The Hindu has little to recommend him in 
either person or religion, and yet the best-fed things we saw 
in that country were connected with the church — the sacred 
bulls and cows. 

The native quarters and the temples were the same as have 
been touched on in our Indian notes. The bazaars were the 
same, and there seemed to be more nearly naked people, owing 
to the weather on the Coramandel coast being warmer than 
that further north. One wonders how Europeans stand the 
heat, as few cool breezes blow in the hot sections of that country 
to refresh the jaded. 

Mention has been made on several occasions of the appalling 
mortality from fevers and pestilence. A considerable portion 
of the mortality may be accounted for, however, when the reader 
learns that there is practically no sewerage from east to west 
and from south to north in this thickly populated country. 
With no sewerage, and the habits of the people as a race being 
the opposite of clean, together with all of the Hindus holding 
in reverence venomous snakes and mad dogs, and some sects 
bedbugs, mosquitoes, and vermin, the wonder is not at the great 
number that fall victims to these various causes, but how to ac- 
count for so many being alive. 

Madras was the last stop in India, as a train was boarded for 
Tuticorin. We passed through a country that is celebrated for 
its splendid temples, which are strange to understand when one 
sees the crude tools and archaic methods employed to do or- 
dinary kinds of work. In the artistic designs and richness of 



326 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

construction of some temples and mosques one sees the acme of 
art, and in mechanism the mien. Judging from the latter, it 
might seem that some skilled race of people had made their 
abode in that country during the period of construction of some 
of the buildings, and then had passed out, unseen, as it were. 
The people of India, as they appear to Europeans, with their 
marble and gold buildings, seem to be a contradiction. The 
country was flat to Tuticorin, half of it being under water, the 
monsoons just having ended. 



CHAPTER VI 

The sail from Tuticorin to Colombo, Ceylon, is 147 miles. 
The first thing one notices in Colombo, the capital of Ceylon, 
is the large number of natives wearing very little clothing. 
Ricksha pullers are as numerous as flies and very annoying, as 
they follow one about the streets for an hour in the hope that 
the visitor will patronize the two-wheeled sulky. Where men 
and women are dressed, it is hard to tell which from which, as 
a large number of the men wear long hair, tied at the back in a 
knot. In addition, the high-caste Singhalese wears an amber- 
colored comb just under the crown of his head; it is what 
women call a backcomb. A great many of these are made from 
turtle shell and are very expensive, based on the wealth of the 
wearer. Men's clothes look more like a dress than man's ap- 
parel, so, when men are seen wearing long hair, a backcomb, 
and a sort of dress, one looks on them as half-women. The 
women are much given to wearing clothes of flaring-colored 
cloth, but there is still a strong reflection of India on all sides. 
The best way to appreciate Ceylon is to visit that island before 
visiting India, for after one has passed through India and then 
visits the lesser country he will not absorb some of the beautiful 
and interesting things for which Ceylon is famed, because of 
the noted mosques, temples, mountains, and teeming millions 
found in the greater country. 

The congested population of Ceylon may be inferred from 
its area — 25,000 square miles — containing over 4,000,000 
people. The island is 270 miles long and 140 miles wide 
at its broadest part. Since 1796 the island has been under 
British control. The exports are interesting, as they in- 
clude tea, coffee, cinnamon, cocoa, cocoanut oil and rubber, 
besides other tropical products. Ceylon is administered by a 
governor, who is subject to the Secretary of State for the Col- 
onies in London. 

327 



32» SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Scaffolding used in Ceylon artd other Eastern countries when 
erecting buildings is odd. The supports to which the floors of 
the scaffolding rest are bamboo poles, and the crosspieces and 
other material used to work on are held together by rope, no 
nails being used. The scaffolding is so bulky, crude and shaky 
that the walls of a building look as if they were out of plumb, 
but the scaffolding nearly always hides the new building entirely 
from view. 

Most of the ships plying Eastern seas stop at Colombo, and, 
with the exception of Port Said, it is perhaps one of the most 
popular maritime stations in the world. 

The buildings of Colombo would not suggest being in far- 
off Ceylon. They are composed of brick, stone, and mortar, 
several stories in height. The streets are clean. Colombo, 
however, is the rosy apple with the decayed center, as a mile 
from the European or business center is the Pettah, or native 
town, with its squalid quarters, narrow streets, ox carts, ab- 
sence of sidewalks,* people barefooted, and many of untidy 
appearance. More English is spoken in Ceylon than in India. 
The population of Colombo is nearly 2cx),0OO. 

A splendid driveway and promenade runs along the ocean 
front, and is paved from the city to a well-known hotel. Also 
a good park and museum that is interesting. Cinnamon trees 
grow in the park, and from the bark of the trees a cinnamon 
odor arises. There are two qualities of the cinnamon, known 
as quills and bark. The quills look like bark strips taken from 
a sapling, and are over a foot in length, tied in bundles. The 
export of cinnamon from Ceylon is 120,000,000 pounds of bark 
a year. All the vegetation about Colombo is tropical. 

One of the social gauges by which a European is measured is 
the class of railway coach in which he travels. If it be a second- 
class coach he is thought little of by the natives, and is apt to 
get the cold shoulder from Europeans. When a white man 
has become a victim to the liquor habit and loses self-respect in 
the black countries a collection is generally taken up among 
Europeans to buy his passage to some other country. 

Some 6,000 Europeans live in Ceylon, which accounts for the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 329 

newspapers being well patronized, both in the city and through- 
out the island. 

One of the prettiest trips in the world is from Colombo to 
Kandy, 75 miles separating the two cities. One meets with 
cocoanut palms and other tropical growths in the hot coulitries 
along the sea coast, but to travel through a tropical section on 
a railway train for that distance is unusual. The train passes 
through a stretch of heavy vegetation, then an open strip of 
country, with bright green-colored rice paddies (fields or 
patches) on both sides of the track. Next the train is flanked 
by groves of cocoanut palms, which disappear when the train 
darts into a tunnel. Emerging, on the side of the hill will be 
seen growing the broad-leafed breadfruit tree, and a similar 
looking one, the jacfruit tree, with large, rough-looking shuck, 
is also a product of the soil. Down in the valley the pale- 
green paddies will be found, the rice growing in a foot of water. 
Into another tunnel the train suddenly disappears, and an up- 
ward grade is traveled, when short, stubby rows of tea bushes 
appear. Then, looking to the right, rise mountains to a 
height of 2,000 feet. On another side natives may be seen 
in a large grove, with small tin cups in their hands, devoting 
their time to the trees; these are rubber-tree tappers and sap 
collectors. The air has now become clearer and cooler than 
the humid atmosphere of Colombo. Along the roads that paral- 
lel the railway track may be seen a light wagon, or trap, with 
two fast-stepping bullocks hitched to the vehicle. These are 
known as " trotting bullocks," and are the fastest means of 
passenger transportation away from the more populous centers. 
All landscape scenes and vistas on the route from Colombo to 
Kandy are luxuriantly tropical. 

Kandy has a population of 25,000, but if the same place were 
located in Europe or in the United States, considering its at- 
tractiveness, half a million people would occupy one-story 
bungalows on the verdure-drooping hillsides and the pretty 
valley would be lined by homes of wealthy people far beyond 
the limited space now built upon. Splendid roadways and 
paths, embowered with tropical leaves, have been cut into the 



330 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

hillsides, and from these one looks down on a pretty lake In the 
valley. When the beauty and attractiveness of places cannot 
be truly portrayed by modern photographic appliances, it is 
difficult to reflect their characteristics with the pen. The alti- 
tude of Kandy is nearly 2,000 feet above sea-level, which insures 
a better atmosphere than is usually found on the coast in tropi- 
cal climes. 

Kandy was the capital of what was known as the Kandy 
Kingdom, and was subjected to attacks by both the Portuguese 
and Dutch from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, when 
England added that section of Ceylon to her possessions, in 
1815. 

Buddha's tooth and other sacred Hindu relics having been 
brought to Kandy at an earlier date was the means of bring- 
ing that pretty place in Ceylon to the fore. It has not been 
made clear whether Buddha had but one molar or a full set, 
but the inference is that he had but one tooth, as the sacred 
bone is referred to as Buddha's tooth. There is no question 
about Buddha having been quite a traveler, as the imprints of 
his foot will be shown visitors at places separated by many 
hundreds of miles. And in connection with the foot imprint, 
it is always designated as Buddha's foot, so, if the one-tooth 
theory is to be entertained, his having but one foot, or one leg, 
would be equally as tenable. The tooth, anyway, like the 
Koh-i-Noor diamond, was considered a treasure, and for that 
precious reason It had been stolen on several occasions, but the 
original molar seems to have got lost, or some one is secreting 
it until the price of that particular bone advances to a fabulous 
figure. But the Hindus of Ceylon had to have a Buddha 
tooth, so an imitation " grinder " was made — a piece of dis- 
colored ivory two Inches long and about an Inch in diameter, 
which looks more like a crocodile's tooth than that of a man. 
The sacred tooth is said to repose now under a golden lotus 
flower, and the flower Is hidden by seven metal shrines con- 
taining jewels in a sacred building In the courtyard of Mallgawa 
Temple. In front of the temple is a tank containing tortoises, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 33i 

from whose "coverings," perhaps, the Singhalese will make 
haircombs later. 

Taking a short trip from Kandy, a river was reached, and the 
ferry boat was slowly pulled from one side to the other by men 
with ropes. The boat was crowded with ox teams and almost 
naked natives. A short distance from the ferry landing seven 
elephants were seen bathing in the river. Continuing along a 
tropical overgrown road, at a bend we were confronted with 
three elephants in charge of mahouts, each carrying by its teeth 
four sacks of copra. A rope had been placed around the center 
of the bags, was pulled tight, and a short end of it was held by 
the elephants' grinders. The products were being brought to 
the ferry by the big beasts, and oxen would then draw this to 
Kandy, the nearest railroad center. By the same means tea and 
other products are transported, and provisions from Kandy are 
delivered at the other side of the river, from which point ele- 
phants advance the wares beyond. The elephants are owned 
by an heir of the old Kandy rulers, and on certain holidays they 
are brought to the city, when they parade about the former 
capital fifteen times. 

Women standing in water nearly to their knees were engaged 
at transplanting rice stalks in paddies. The paddies, or beds, 
which are banked with earth from 6 to I2 inches on all sides 
to retain water, range in area from a space six feet square to 
a plot containing acres. In these the rice is sown, and when the 
stalks have grown to about a foot high most of them are trans- 
planted. In some parts of the paddy the rice will be too thickly 
sowed, and in other sections not thick enough. The stalks in 
the thickets will then be pulled out, those left being the regular 
growth. The surplus stalks will next be transplanted in thinly 
sowed places of the bed. By this means the paddy would be 
equally sown; and it was interesting to observe the alertness 
with which the work progressed. At a place in India a dozen 
men were seen baling water from a ditch into a paddy with 
their hands, illustrating the crude methods in use. Rice is the 
staple food of natives in Ceylon. 



332 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

In both India and Ceylon one never sees a woman servant 
engaged at housework in European homes or hotels. Men are 
exclusively employed at this occupation, women doing the harder 
work in the fields, carrying water, bricks, etc. 

The Royal Botanical Garden, located a few miles from 
Kandy, was the most interesting one seen. We had visited the 
clove groves at Zanzibar, and specimens were growing in the 
Kandy garden, but we had not seen the nutmeg tree before. 
The nutmeg grows on a tree as large as the buckeye, or horse 
chestnut, and is of the same nature, differing in one respect, 
however, the nutmeg being protected by an inner shuck. It 
falls from the tree, when the outer shuck cracks, but is pro- 
tected by the inner or second covering. It is then the size and 
color of a pink peach, but when the second shuck has been re- 
moved the nutmeg of commerce is seen. The vanilla bean hung 
from vines in the garden ; the pepper vine was seen among the 
plants growing ; the sago palm grew there, also the " candle- 
stick " tree, besides other rare growths. Some of the larger 
trees in this garden were bare of leaves, which tropical oddity 
was accounted for by the presence of flying foxes — the same 
as those mentioned in Leg Four — hanging by the claws of one 
leg from the limbs during the day. There were thousands of 
these large bats, and, as in Tonga, they were considered sacred, 
and no one would kill them. 

In this part of Ceylon most of the land was under tea cultiva- 
tion. Tea exports from the island are nearly 190,000,000 
pounds a year. 

While oxen are the means of transportation in both India 
and Ceylon, automobiles may be seen skimming about the good 
roads in both countries. 

A return was made to Colombo, where a ship, on which pas- 
sage had been engaged, was about due to leave that port. I 
had sailed on English, Swedish and German vessels till I had 
reached Bombay; but from Colombo I started east on a Jap- 
anese ship. 



LEG SEVEN 



CHAPTER I 

Hearing passengers refer to incidents that took place aboard 
ship " three weeks ago " sounded far-fetched in these days of 
speedy travel, yet those on this Japanese ship had been at sea 
over four weeks when the vessel sailed from Colombo on her 
Far Eastern voyage. The European passengers were nearly 
all English, and not a single American was met with. Some 
Japanese and Chinese were traveling second-class, but Eu- 
ropeans were assigned certain tables and the '* yellow " men 
had tables to themselves. Steamship fare is reasonable for long 
voyages, but the fare from intermediate ports in this section of 
the world is expensive. The ship was loaded to the water-line 
with cargo, and every berth was occupied. The deck was cov- 
ered with a double canvas as we traveled through a tropical 
sun over the Indian Ocean. Some of the passengers were going 
to Siam and Cochin-China, others to the Federated Malay 
States, a few to Borneo, and a number to Java; also others 
bound for Hongkong, Manila, and Shanghai, the southern Jap- 
anese ports, and the remainder for Yokohama, Japan, the last 
stop. The voyage was from Antwerp, Belgium, to Yokohama, 
a nine weeks' journey. 

Until recently marine insurance companies would not take 
any risk with Japanese-manned ships, for which reason the mer- 
chant fleet of Japan had been under the direction of British 
captains and chief engineers. In order that Japanese could 
command Japanese ships, examinations for the position of cap- 
tain or chief engineer was made more severe than that required 
by other countries. By this means the services of British of- 
ficers are gradually being dispensed with, insurance companies 
now recognizing the efficiency of Japanese navigators. 

Three days out from Colombo land was seen to the south — 
Sumatra, a Dutch possession, where the natives cause much 

335 



336 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

trouble. Entering the Straits of Malacca, bounded on the 
north by the Malay Peninsula and on the south by Sumatra, 
for 500 miles — the length of the Straits — we sailed in sight 
of land. (The Indian Ocean had been crossed and recrossed 
on the trip to Australia and back to South Africa, then to 
Mombasa and over to Bombay. ) We have now left the Straits 
and the Indian Ocean, and the ship is sailing through an island- 
dotted stretch of sea ; a city appears ahead — Singapore, the 
maritime junction of the Far East. 

What a difference in the condition of the people in this city 
to those seen in India and Ceylon ! None looked starved, there 
were no deformed people, no beggars, and the natives were 
tidier and better dressed. The native Malay is much lighter in 
color than the Indian and Singhalese. Though the Malay is 
the native of Singapore, Chinese far outnumber them or any 
other race. 

The business section of Singapore is as flat as the Indian 
plains, and when a heavy shower of rain falls some of the streets 
are under water two feet. The population of the Straits Settle- 
ments metropolis is over 300,000 and, as in India, there is no 
sewerage in the cijy. The streets in the native and Chinese 
quarters were better looked after than those in Indian cities in 
similar sections. Some of the business buildings are good and 
substantial, with elevators in the larger structures. Many of 
the sidewalks are covered by balconies to buildings in the busi- 
ness district, which is accounted for by the hot weather in that 
section the year round, Singapore being located 80 miles north 
of the equator. 

All vessels sailing in that part of the world stop at Singapore 
— those going to Java, Borneo, Siam, Cochin-China, south or 
north of the Philippine group, and vessels that continue to China 
and Japan. Some vessels go no further east than Singapore, 
and again start from that point west. 

The Straits Settlements comprise the island of Singapore, the 
Province of Malacca and a number of other islands in that dis- 
trict. The Federated Malay States are embraced in the Malay 
Peninsula, all of which is under British rule. The governor of 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 337 

the Straits Settlements also has jurisdiction over the Federated 
States. The city of Singapore was selected as an English set- 
tlement by Stamford Raffles in 1819, at that time a small native 
colony. Singapore island is 28 miles long and 14 miles wide. 

Irish potatoes do not grow in that section, and one seldom 
has fresh milk, condensed milk being the lacteal generally used 
in many sections of the tropics. It looked strange to see a big 
ship unloading for days cases containing tins of milk, brought 
from Europe, to a country where grass is always green. 

Thousands of acres of Singapore Island are under pineapple 
cultivation, and large quantities of that fruit are shipped from 
this port. The bountiful yield of this product has been brought 
about almost entirely through the industriousness of Chinese. 

Passing a cocoanut grove, trees, almost uprooted, will be seen 
lying flat on the ground, the fronds being as fresh and green as 
those standing. Nothing can inspire hope so much as the cocoa- 
nut palm. It is often blown down by storms, twisted and 
wrecked, but as long as there is left even a thread of root the 
palm will continue to grow. As soon as it has recovered from 
the shock, so to speak, the bushy top that had been flattened on 
the earth from the fall will be seen pointing upward. Pass the 
same dethroned palm later, and the fronds will be found to be 
in a direct line with the rays of the sun at midday. Under any 
adversity its head will be pointed straight upward. A large 
tonnage of copra is also shipped from this port, there being 
extensive cocoanut plantations on Singapore and adjacent islands. 

This part of the world is rubber mad. Rubber grows in 
some sections of the Federated States better than anywhere else. 
Questionable rubber companies operate here, however, stock 
being issued and dealt in, after which the " sharpers " get 
aboard-ship and disapper. As much as 400 pounds of rubber 
an acre is gathered yearly, the price running from $3 to $4 a 
pound. Much of the tin used in the world is mined in this 
district, which, with rubber, are also staple exports from this 
port. 

The currency of the Straits Settlements is the dollar, which 
in that country equals 56 American cents; small coins are also 



338 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

termed cents. Straits Settlements paper money — one-dollar, 
five-dollar bills, etc.- — is the dirtiest met with. The color of 
the bills is dark green, and they are so soiled that it is often 
difficult to see the denomination on the face. 

Hotel rates were higher here than we had been charged since 
leaving Johannesburg. The cheapest accommodation in the city 
was $5 a day ($2.80 in American money). In Australasia 
hotel expenses did not exceed $1.50 a day, and in India and 
Ceylon the same sum was not exceeded. Singapore is what is 
termed a free port, which makes high hotel rates even more 
difficult to understand. Articles generally were more costly 
than in countries visited which levy a heavy import tariff. 

A winter tourist ship stopped here which had among its 
passengers a greater number of Americans than of any other 
nationality. A dinner was served at the best hotel in the city, 
and a goodly stock of wine and liquors had been provided for 
the occasion. To the surprise of the boniface, most of the pas- 
sengers asked for ice water when eating. The small sum the 
tourists spent for liquids caused a general laugh 'in that city. 

" Stengha," a word that sounds like " stinger," is spoken to 
a waiter when ordering refreshments. Few persons living in 
the hot countries drink water, so whisky and soda is very apt 
to be a " stengha." 

Some sections of Singapore are well shaded, and the streets 
are good. Recreation grounds are very good, and churches 
are seen at every turn. In addition, there is an interesting 
museum, and a short distance from the city is located an at- 
tractive botanical garden. Rickshas are numerous, drawn by 
Chinese, and the fare is reasonable. No one walks in Singa- 
pore. To offset the glare of the sun, some of the sidewalks 
have been covered with red soil. A good street-car system has 
been installed, and the place is lighted by electricity. 

A load of live hogs, drawn by oxen yoked to a two-wheeled 
cart and driven by a Chinaman, passed along a street. Each 
hog was encased in a bamboo basket or barrel, with grass rope 
tied across the opening to keep the porker from getting out of 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 339 

his " stall." There were ten hogs to the load, stacked one on 
top of the other. 

A large number of wealthy Chinese live in the Straits Set- 
tlements. When traveling through the islands there may be 
seen, carved on the posts of large entrance gates of the Mongols' 
homes, peacocks, lions, birds, and fantastic, hideous-looking 
figures. These residents may be seen any time of day or eve- 
ning riding about the city and island in modern and sumptuous 
motor-cars. 

Some years ago a young American diplomat had been ap- 
pointed consul at Bangkok, Siam. A merchant of the Siamese 
capital owed an American a large sum of money. Through the 
young consul the American sought to recover the debt, where- 
upon the diplomat threatened the Siamese merchant with the 
power of America. An American battleship later anchored in 
Singapore harbor. Down from Siam came the young and ar- 
dent consul, with but one aim in view — to persuade the cap- 
tain of the battleship to proceed to Bangkok with his vessel and 
scare the money out of the debtor. The captain told the con- 
sul he had no objection to doing so if he (the consul) would 
cable the War Department at Washington, D. C, for instruc- 
tions to that effect. A cable was sent immediately, and a reply 
soon received, which read: " Explain why you are absent from 
your post of duty." The consul walked floors, fearing recall, 
and had to write several letters to the State Department before 
he could entertain hope of retaining his post. 

What looks like a round bolster is found at the foot of every 
bed. This equipment is to put under the body, to allow air 
to pass between the body and mattress, as the nights are very 
hot. In other ways the bolster is used to protect the flesh. 
This article of utility is called a " Dutch wife." 

In the govenment printing office in Singapore were 150 
printers, and out of that number there was but one white man, 
the overseer. The wages were $10 to $14 a month, which was 
$3 to $5 a month more than was paid in India for similar work. 
There is much room for improvement in the Singapore offices, 



340 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

although the hours worked are but seven a day, the business 
hours of that city. 

Every one has his " boy " servant in Singapore. While get- 
ting money at a bank the clerk had a " boy " to blot any writ- 
ing he (the clerk) did. Unmarried men often eat their meals 
in their room, which are brought from the kitchen by a " boy " 
servant. Many have a ricksha puller for their own use. 
Single men often have as many as three servants. 

Malaria and other tropical fevers impair the health of many 
settlers. The heavy rainfall, hot sun, and low-lying land ac- 
count for the absence of fat men in that section of the world. 

Every one wears white clothes and helmet. Starched or 
dress shirts are little worn. A high collar is attached to the 
white jacket, and under the jacket is generally worn a thin 
woolen undershirt. 

As in India, one seldom sees a white child here. As soon as 
children become able to run about they are sent to Europe to be 
educated and to acquire a sound constitution. Nearly all the 
Europeans living in the Straits Settlements and Federated States 
are Britishers. 

A great many Chinese find employment in carrying small 
restaurants about the city on split bamboo poles. They shout 
as they travel along, and stop when a customer indicates that he 
wants to eat. Chopsticks are used in lieu of knife and fork. 
" Makan " is the Malays' word for food. The Malay lan- 
guage is spoken by all classes. The native is not burdened 
with energy, the prosperous condition of that country having 
been brought about mainly by Chinamen. 

Singapore holds ninth place in the principal shipping ports 
of the world, the harbor being crowded with large and small 
craft. 

An effort was made to travel direct from Singapore to Ma- 
nila, but, after waiting two weeks for a ship going to the 
Philippines' capital, the plan was abandoned. A start was then 
made for Hongkong on a German ship. Like the Japanese 
vessel that had brought me to Singapore from Colombo, the 
German ship was weighed down to the water-line with cargo, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 341 

every berth in the cabins being occupied. The distance from 
Singapore to Hongkong is 1,440 miles, and the fare, second- 
class, was $31.50. 

Seeing a drawling American on this ship, a Britisher. sized 
him up as one who might be twitted. " What is your business, 
may I ask?" began the Britisher. "Oh! I generally follow 
mining," drawled the " Yank." " Is there much money in it? " 
asked the Britisher. " Oh, the usual thing in mining — 
chicken one day and feathers the next," sluggishly answered the 
American. " By the way," said the " Yank," perking up, " may 
I ask what your business is?" "Oh, I'm a missionary," 
promptly answered John Bull's subject. " Is there much money 
in it?" whipped back the "Yankee." 

For two days out from Singapore the German ship rode the 
seas as smoothly as a motor-car running over a well-tarred 
road. Then the weather grew stormy and the ocean rough. 
We had entered the China Sea. The time of year was the day 
before Christmas, and a Christmas tree had been erected in the 
dining saloon, ornamented with bright-colored tinsel balls, choc- 
olate bars wrapped in tinfoil, colored candy hatchets, lions, 
dogs and dolls; sprigs of holly with red berries, rosy red apples 
hanging from bending boughs, candy wrapped in vari-colored 
and fringed papers, wax candles hanging from limbs, with 
medicated cotton and white powder scattered over the pine tree 
to indicate snow. The sea had become rougher, and the steady 
ship of a few days earlier was now rolling and pitching her 
heavy tonnage against powerful waves, the propellers often re- 
volving in unwatered space. Few had interest in the tree this 
Christmas Eve, as most of the passengers had become seasick. 
As a result, and the storm not having abated, only half a dozen 
of the big list of passengers ate turkey with cranberry sauce, 
mince pie, raisins, and nuts that Christmas Day while sailing 
over the China Sea. The day following the sea became quieter, 
and an island came in view, then more islands. The sea hav- 
ing calmed, passengers became numerous on deck. Buildings, 
on the side of a high, green island, were now seen — we had 
reached the island of Hongkong, China. As the vessel neared 



34a SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the harbor, the city, resting comfortably at the base of the 
mountain and stretching along the shore, was clearly outlined. 
Being our initial visit to a Chinese city, Johnson's lines came to 
mind — 

" Let observation, with extensive view, 
Survey mankind from China to Peru." 

Ho! There was an American flag flying from the mast of 
a ship at anchor in the harbor — the fourth time the United 
States emblem was seen waving from a ship's mast during a 
journey of over 60,000 miles, most of which was by water. 
At Dunedin, N. Z., the first flag was seen flying from a dilapi- 
dated schooner, and the other two from small vessels at Apia, 
Samoa. 

Hongkong is a horseless and oxless town. This island city 
is far up in the list of ports — perhaps fourth — and it is diffi- 
cult to believe that the cargo of great vessels could be moved 
almost entirely by human aid alone ; yet such is the fact. There 
would seem to be no obstacles that the Chinaman cannot sur- 
mount. On a split bamboo pole Chinamen have been known 
to carry 500 pounds' weight. Generally, what one man can- 
not carry two will; but any weight too much for two would 
be moved along by four Chinese, two at each end of a bamboo 
pole. Heavy loads that cannot be moved by poles are placed 
on to a two-wheeled hand truck. India and Ceylon looked un- 
progressive with the two-wheeled ox carts, but when one reaches 
an important seaport city and finds neither mules, horses, oxen 
or donkeys to move heavy traffic, that feature must be classed 
among the world's oddities. 

The mountain behind the city rises to a height of nearly 
2,000 feet. Buildings have been built on the mountainside, 
and on the summit stand the barracks, or fort, and the Gov- 
ernor-General's residence. Some of these buildings, used for 
hospitals and other purposes, are big; yet every brick, stone, 
pound of mortar, furniture — everything of which the buildings 
and fort are made — had been carried up the roads and foot- 
paths cut in the sides of the mountain on the backs, shoulders, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 343 

or heads of Chinese, mostly women. A cable railway runs 
from nearly the bottom to the top, but the company that built 
the line is forbidden to carry other than passengers up the 
slope. That restriction was placed on the company in order 
that the Chinese would not be deprived of work necessitated 
by the demand for supplies and provisions by those living in that 
section of Hongkong Island. 

The city appears on maps as the City of Victoria, but Hong- 
kong is the only name one hears. The island comprises an 
area of 29 square miles, and was ceded to Great Britain in 
1843. But England has acquired an additional area of 380 
square miles on the mainland opposite. The city has a popula- 
tion of 300,000, but half a million inhabitants reside on the 
island. Of this number 6,000 are Europeans, the remainder 
largely Chinese. The water channel separating Hongkong 
from the main line is a mile wide, and opposite the city is 
Kowloon, where large vessels put in at wharves and from which 
place the railway starts for Canton. 

Hongkong is reputed to have the most picturesque setting of 
any city in the world, and the view seemed better than that 
offered by Capetown, South Africa. A perpetually green moun- 
tain rises steeply nearly 2,000 feet from the seashore, and the 
splendid roads and walks cut in the sides might, seen from a 
distance, resemble the threads on a mammoth screw. White 
brick buildings, covered with red-tile roofing, rise from the 
verdured sides at frequent intervals. This attractiveness con- 
tinues to the summit, which is capped, as it were, with the 
official residence and forts. From the summit the view seems 
superior to that from below, as the ornamentation of the steep 
slope, both by nature and man, with the city at the base, ships 
lolling at anchor in the harbor and pretty islands dotting the 
haven from three sides, all unite in maintaining the reputation 
the island bears. 

A boycott was issued by the Chinese against the street rail- 
way system of Hongkong. The trouble came about through 
the railway company refusing to accept Canton money for fares 
on the cars, and the boycott resulted. The cars ran back and 



344 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

forth without Chinese passengers during the period of the 
strike. 

Sedan chairs are the means of conveyance for people living 
on the mountainside. The chair is box-shape with a seat, fas- 
tened to two long bamboo poles. The passenger steps in, a 
Chinaman between the poles at each end, and grunts are heard 
while raising the poles to their shoulders. Off they start up the 
steep incline, no matter whether the passenger be light or heavy, 
with as apparent ease as if a chicken were inside the box. The 
charge for a long ride is 15 to 25 cents, divided between the 
Chinamen. Rickshas are the conveyances used in the city. A 
short ride costs three cents, and if hired by the hour the charge 
is 15 cents. The rickshas in Hongkong, Colombo, and Sing- 
apore are made to carry but one person, while the sulkies drawn 
by the Zulus in Durban, South Africa, are built to hold two 
persons. Zulus go as fast and as far with two fares as the 
pullers of other countries do with one passenger. Both chair 
carriers and ricksha pullers are in their bare feet, 

Hongkong is very substantially built, and it is doubtful if 
there is a frame house on the island. No one who has not seen 
that city would expect to find the splendid business blocks that 
so creditably adorn the place. Some of these are seven and 
eight stories high. Most of the sidewalks are covered with 
cement roofing, giving the walks a half-arcade appearance, 
which is done when erecting buildings, as the sun is hot in 
summer. 

Porcelain bath tubs and running hot water were found in 
Hongkong, the first we noted since leaving South Africa. In 
British-East Africa, Uganda, India, Ceylon, and Singapore 
round wooden tubs were in use, and hot water was carried to 
the bath room by servants. 

The water-front of Hongkong was crowded with crudely 
designed boats, called sampans. The craft has a mast, and 
when in use sails — sometimes made of reeds — are pulled to 
the breeze. The quaint craft has a cabin, and large families 
are born and reared on board, it being their home. A large 
oar at the stern, rolled from one side to the other when the 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 345 

craft is moving, helps to advance the sampan and acts as a 
rudder besides; it has two oars at the sides also. In most cases 
the craft is manned by women and their children. Frequently 
a Chinese woman, who looks like a hunchback, is seen pulling 
an oar. The apparent deformity proves to be a delusion, how- 
ever, as, when she has reached shore and secured the sampan, 
she unwraps a cloth and a ruddy-faced baby rolls into her arms. 
What would be a heavy burden to women of other races a 
Chinese woman does not seem to mind. 

The Hongkong policeman is unique. He wears a bright, 
yellow-colored helmet, a jacket with brass buttons, knicker- 
bockers, white leggings, and the scow-shaped Chinese shoes. 
His bearing is decidedly military, and he is unassuming when 
on duty. The Indian Sikh is also employed for police duty, 
but is not so interesting as the native. 

Daily English newspapers are published in Hongkong, and 
linotype machines are in use in some offices. In one place a 
Chinese linotype operator could not speak a word of English, 
yet he could read English copy and set a clean proof. The 
wage paid was $15 a month. Europeans were in charge of the 
printing departments, but the mechanics were Chinese. 

Mock Duck, Duck Mock, Fat Duck, Duck Fat, Wa Duck, 
Ho Duck were common names observed on signs above the 
doors of business houses in Hongkong. 

Chinamen seem to be eating most of the time, the portable 
restaurant, as in Singapore, being in use here. Their food 
appeared to be mostly fish, vegetables, and what looked like 
spaghetti, and tea was drunk at eating-time. As all eat with 
chopsticks, table cutlery is little in demand among the natives. 
*' Chou " is their name for food. 

The dollar is the unit of money in Hongkong, but its value 
is much lower than the Straits Settlements dollar, being that of 
the Mexican dollar, which varies from 44 to 50 cents. Frac- 
tional coins are on the cent basis, and are made of silver, nickel, 
and copper. 

When visiting a bank in Hongkong, hundreds of natives were 
seen at the rear, with a clerk shouting something in Chinese. 



346 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Inquiry as to what occasioned so large a number of visitors at 
the bank, brought forth the information " They had Just come 
from America and were having checks cashed." Every nation 
takes money out of America, the feeding ground of the world. 

There is a large photograph gallery, or archive, in the Ameri- 
can consulate in Hongkong, which contains the portrait of 
every Chinaman who has been to America and returned to 
China. 

A good botanical garden is located just above the business 
center of the city, and parks, good public buildings, a museum, 
libraries, churches and schools, and other public features are well 
represented. 

Mail from Europe will be longer traveling to Hongkong 
than to any other port in the world, and vice versa. From 
centers north of Hongkong mail is sent by way of Siberia, and 
the larger amount of mail even from this city is, perhaps, 
carried over the Siberian railway. Were one, however, to mail 
a letter in London, Paris, or Berlin to Hongkong, by way of 
the Suez Canal — the main route from Europe to the Far East 
— it would not reach the Chinese port earlier than six weeks' 
time from date of mailing. From 40 days to six weeks is the 
regular time required for passenger ships to travel from Europe 
to Hongkong. 

Hotel expenses were cheaper than at Singapore, being only 
two dollars a day. 



CHAPTER II 

A TRIP was made up the West River to Canton, a stretch of 
water in which vessels are sometimes sacked by Chinese pirates. 
A half-dozen or more of these daring Mongols will board a 
boat at the starting place as passengers did, and when an op- 
portunity offers they will overpower the officers, when the 
ship will be at their mercy. Not long ago an effective weapon 
called " stinkpot " was in use. These bad smelling crocks 
were thrown about the decks of a boat, bursting, and the nau- 
seating odor from them would partly suffocate any who happened 
to be near. The pirates well knew where to burst them to the 
best advantage. To prevent successful piratical attacks to river 
craft, English gunboats have been stationed at certain places of 
this large river. Hongkong is the port for Canton and the 
great population in Southern China, and no one who has not 
taken a sail up that river can form a correct idea of the large 
number of people who crowd on the boats, particularly in the 
third-class section. 

When the boat reaches Canton, and before it is alongside 
the wharf, Chinese, emerging from rowboats, will be seen scal- 
ing the sides of the vessel from stem to stern with the agility of 
monkeys. In a very short time they throw their legs across the 
deck rails, every one of them on the alert to earn a few cents 
by carrying a valise, directing a passenger to his ricksha or 
sedan chair, or presenting to the visitors business cards of silk, 
damascene, ivory, or other merchants. Guides are also much 
in evidence, and if there is any city in the world where a guide 
is needed it is surely Canton, China. 

Soon we are in a sedan chair — the only means, except afoot, 
of getting about the city — with a Chinaman at each end, the 
poles resting on their shoulders. The guide was in front, and 
in a short time we had passed through an entrance in the city 

347 



348 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

wall. All was different then, and it is doubtful if a stranger 
could find his way out after having gone not more than two 
city squares in Canton. The streets are from three to fifteen 
feet wide, and boxes, tubs, tanks and pails, used by storekeepers 
to show their goods, encroach even on this limited space. 
Were one to go to a large ant-hill on a hot day, when the in- 
sects are thick and moving about quickly, the mound would 
afford a fair illustration of Canton within the walls. The 
city is one great human ant-hill. We had been through the 
teeming streets of the native quarters of some Indian cities, 
and concluded there could not be more density of population 
anywhere, but that opinion soon changed after stepping inside 
the walls of the metropolis of Southern China. Any one who 
has visited Hongkong and thinks he has seen a typical Chinese 
city would do well to pay a visit to Canton. 

** Hey-ho, ho-hey, yay-he-ho, ho-ye-hay," sounds something 
like what a Chinaman sings or chants to make known his 
coming in the human-packed streets. Bear in mind, there is 
neither horse, ox, mule, nor ricksha puller traversing the streets 
— only men and women, with loads carried on split bamboo 
poles. They all have a song, grunt or yawn to give warning 
of their coming. Some of the streets are so narrow that two 
sedan chairs, carried in opposite directions, cannot pass. On 
such occasions the carriers of one chair must stop until the others 
squeeze their way between the wall of a store and the people, 
who are constantly passing to and fro. It is natural, when 
carrying burdens on poles, to have poles resting on both shoul- 
ders, but the crowded streets here will not permit of that. 
The load has to be carried on one shoulder, the pole pointing 
in front. While the narrow streets and teeming crowds make 
it much harder for men to bear loads in that manner, how 
much more inconvenient it must be for a woman carrying the 
same weight, with a baby tied to her back! There appeared 
to be as many women as men with the weight-carrying poles 
over their shoulders, and with both sexes coolie custom seemed 
to forbid walking, as all moved at a trot when space per- 
mitted. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 349 

Roasted pork, dried fish, and dried fowl were much in evi- 
dence in the shops ; and for long distances wooden tubs contain- 
ing water and live fish line a street. Butcher shops and vege- 
table stores are also seen at every turn. Garbage from each 
store or dwelling is placed in the street, and this is often kicked 
about before the garbage man takes it away. Hydrants are 
numerous, and lines of people wait their turn to get water. 
Wide boards, on which are written Chinese characters, often 
meet from each side, and a reed covering placed above, and 
extending across the street, drawn by ropes, shades people from 
the sun. Between the grunts, yawns, and songs of the laborers, 
together with the general conversation and the shouts from 
others at intruders on the dried fish and fowl, it Is dampness, 
noise, stench and jam from the time one enters until he emerges 
outside the wall. In this large city there is no sewerage. 

The street paving is composed of stones from two to three 
feet wide, and in length the width of the street. As there are 
neither horses nor wagons used in the city, most of the people 
in their bare feet, and, as the sandals worn by others have soft 
soles, the pavement lasts a long time, although some of the 
thick stones show signs of wear from the millions of feet passing 
over them. Between the broad signs, other signs printed on 
wide strips of canvas, together with the curtains that cover the 
thoroughfares above the cramped space, the streets of Canton 
resemble tunnels more than anything else. 

The City of the Dead, a burying place in Canton, differed 
from any before seen. The coffins are logs, hewed out for a 
body, are of cylindrical shape, with four corners, and appear as 
if four pieces of lumber had been sealed together. The top 
quarter-piece is loose and serves as the lid. Some of these odd- 
appearing coffins are expensive, as they are heavily inlaid with 
mother-of-pearl and gold leaf. The first resting-place consists 
of two rooms, and these are separated by a matting curtain. In 
the second, or inside, chamber the coffin rests on two supports 
as large as a washtub. In the outer, or reception chamber, 
stands a table with flowers, an incense-stick pot, and a glass 
containing oil, with a wick. The incense-stick was burning 



350 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

and the wick was casting a dim flame. Every morning and 
afternoon a fresh cup of tea is placed on the stand, to- 
gether with fruit and fresh flowers. The light was kept burn- 
ing so the spirit of the dead could find its way about, and, if 
it felt like eating, the food was ready. The corpse rests in 
that place for six months, when the remains are removed to a 
permanent burial ground and put under the earth. The tem- 
porary — or six months' — resting place rents for $io a month, 
or $60 for the time allowed. Formerly the corpse remained in 
these lying-in-state, or ancestral halls, for years, but that has 
been changed to a six months' period. Only well-to-do Chinese 
are so laid to rest. 

The wall encircling Canton is six miles round, but the city 
has outgrown the old lines. At one place, just inside the wall, 
is the old execution ground, where offenders against the law 
were beheaded, but it is now used as a pottery. 

A hundred and twenty-four temples of the Confucius and 
Buddhist faiths were found here, but, when visiting some of 
these, the growing grass, dilapidated walks, dusty images, and 
general lack of care in evidence at every turn suggested that 
the Chinaman has broken loose from old religious moorings. 
In the Geneii Temple were 500 figures on one side of the 
building, badly in need of dusting. A very good pagoda, five 
stories high, is a feature of Canton. All the pagodas of China 
are of odd stories — three, five or seven. 

The various manufacturing industries of the city are situated 
in one quarter. A big business is done in jadestone, mostly 
made into rings, and used as bracelets ; but the stone is used also 
for other ornaments. The jadestone industry is situated in a 
certain district ; furniture manufacturing is also centralized ; the 
mother-of-pearl workers are located in still another section; 
this applies also to the ivory, damascene, jewelry, and tinware 
industries. Little or no machinery is used, most of the work 
being done by hand. 

The city seemed to be free of loafers, everybody doing some- 
thing. Talking with a Chinese acquaintance on this point, he 
stated that the only men out of work were gamblers, whose 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 351 

" occupation " had been taken from them by official decree. 
They had never learned to do anything else. The opium houses 
had also been closed. Not a queue was seen hanging down the 
back of the males one met, the cutting off of the pigtails being 
in compliance with a government edict. The hair from the 
queues was shipped to other countries. 

" Sweating money " is a custom said to be much practiced in 
China. Gold coins are placed in a sheet or cloth, which is 
then vigorously shaken. The coins, clashing against each other, 
wear off the milling, which remains in the sheet. When the 
coins are " sweated " to the satisfaction of the " sweaters " the 
cloth is put in a kettle or retort, when the gold dust, or milling, 
remains at the bottom. It is owing to this " sweating " process 
that, when gold is required in transactions of fifty dollars and 
much greater sums, bankers often determine the value of the 
metal by weighing it rather than by accepting the coins at their 
face value. 

Concerning the population of Canton, there seemed to be no 
official figures. Some give the number at a million, others at 
two millions, and even three millions of people are said to be 
residents of the metropolis of Southern China. Statements of 
the Pearl River population, however, seem to be authentic. 
Just think of half a million people living on the water! The 
river is partly blocked with native craft — sampans — and 
these are the homes of people numbering as many as comprise 
the city of Baltimore, Md. Each owner of a sampan pays a 
small license fee to the city; but they have no water rent to pay 
or house rent bills. The sampan is the home of a great many 
Chinese from birth until they die, generally at a ripe old age. 
The Pearl River is called the West River at Hongkong. 

Missionaries living in the interior have enough bread baked 
at one baking to last them a month. The bread is sliced, then 
toasted, and taken to the mission. Toasting the bread keeps it 
from getting mouldy. 

An island, separated by a fork of the Pearl River, is known as 
the Shameen, and here the few Europeans of Canton reside. 
The Shameen has been leased from China by both France and 



352 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

England for a term of 99 years. The area of the concession 
is but 69 acres, and 300 Europeans make their home in that 
pretty place. The consulates of other European countries also 
are located on the island, and the only European hotel in Can- 
ton is among the few modern buildings seen in the old Chinese 
city. Two bridges span the branch of water that forms the 
island on the city side, and high, strong gates are located at each 
end of these bridges. The approaches to the Shameen are 
guarded by policemen day and night, and Chinese not employed 
by residents of that district, or who have no business to attend to 
on the island, are not allowed to cross the bridges. The gates 
are opened at 6 o'clock in the morning, and are closed at 9 
o'clock in the evening. Native servants or employees having oc- 
casion to go out after dark must carry a light, and among these 
one sees some odd designs. A small lantern but little larger 
than a goose egg will be carried by one Chinaman, another will 
be seen with a light burning in what looks like a soup bowl, 
the regular European lantern will be carried by another, and 
the square, colored-paper Chinese lantern will be lighting the 
way of still another native. A Chinaman has no right to live 
in the Shameen; those who do live on the island are there by 
sufferance of the two powers who leased the land. 

The homes and business buildings of Canton do not exceed 
three stories, most of them but one or two stories in height. 
The doors are heavy, and iron bars protect some of the windows. 
Brick, stone, and mortar are the material used in construction, 
with black tiling for roofs. A marked air of privacy pervades 
the exterior of Chinese homes. 

Stones, pear-shaped, are used as seats by the Chinese. These 
may be seen in tea gardens and places of quiet recreation. This 
custom of using stones as seats is because they are cooler than 
any other material. Occupants sit astride the stones.^ 

Canton, the capital of the Province of Kwangtung, is styled 
the " City of Rams " from the legend of the five immortals who 
rode into the city on the backs of five rams during the Chow 
dynasty, which ruled from 11 12 — 255 B. C. The metropolis 
was made a treaty port in 1842. 




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Two kinds of dollars are In use — the Hongkong and the 
Kwangtung — the former in the Shameen and the latter in the 
city and province. The Hongkong dollar is worth more than 
the Kwangtung, as the former is backed by England and the 
other by the present unsettled China. The cheapest hotel rate 
was $4 a day, and only Hongkong money was accepted in pay- 
ment. 

First-, second- and third-class cars are used on the railway line 
running from Kowloon to Canton. The first-class coaches are 
of European style — compartments — and the second- and third- 
class cars are open, with an aisle and seats on both sides, like 
the American cars, but without cushions. The fare for first- 
class travel was six cents a mile, and three cents for second- 
class accommodation. The water pirates, like hippopotami 
on a foraging expedition, sometimes take a stroll from their 
river haunts and succeed in plundering the passengers of the 
railway train. Along the line could be seen small, level 
patches of ground, not over four feet in length in some in- 
stances, banked on a hillside by stones to keep the soil 
from washing away, on which grain and vegetables grew. Lit- 
tle land is allowed to go to waste in China. 

Back I went to Hongkong. 



CHAPTER III 

An American ship was boarded at Hongkong for Manila, 
P. I., but the vessel had been built in Glasgow, Scotland. The 
distance from Hongkong to Manila is 630 miles, and 60 hours' 
time is required to sail between the two points. The fare, first- 
class, was $25 — four cents a mile for sea travel. One has 
little choice anent " class " on these boats, as second-class is 
very inferior. First-class accommodation, however, was good. 
After two days of rough sailing land was sighted, and next 
morning the ship passed through the right channel of Corregidor 
Island into Manila harbor. Thirty miles from the entrance is 
Manila. After leaving the ship, it was the first time I had been 
on American territory for nearly three years. 

What a marked difference in the appearance of streets in 
Manila to other cities of the Far East. Instead of Chinese or 
natives moving merchandise and other wares on split bamboo 
sticks or by ox carts, or donkeys drawing two-wheeled vehicles, 
large, fat mules and horses were hitched to big, four-wheeled 
trucks loaded with heavy wares, together with big motor trucks 
taking part in the healthy business scene. Besides, flitting about 
the streets were light, neat-appearing, two-wheeled vehicles 
drawn by smart-moving ponies. The two-wheeled trap, called 
a calesa, is the chief conveyance. The men driving these were 
certainly a strange class of " cabbies," for they did not seem to 
care whether they secured a fare or not. The calesas, number- 
ing 3,000, are. both a handy and a cheap conveyance, the charge 
being 20 cents for the first and 15 cents for each additional 
hour. 

The principal business street is known as the Escolta, and 
little can be said in its favor. Most of the business houses are 
conducted by Chinese, Indians and Arabs; and a great many of 

354 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 355 

the buildings are owned by these merchants, who would be 
satisfied to do business in a pig pen so long as money came over 
the stye. The street is well paved, well policed, and a good 
street-car line has been laid in the center. But it is the lop- 
sided appearance of the thoroughfare that grates on one. The 
sidewalk at the head of the street is eight feet wide, and gets 
narrower and narrower until the walking space has been re- 
duced to eight inches. The Escolta being the Broadway of 
Manila, it is well crowded with Filipinos, Chinamen and Ameri- 
cans. A better street might be substituted for the Escolta, but 
that thoroughfare is owned by Chinese. 

The only way to make a modern town out of Manila would 
be to destroy the relics of Spanish " art " and rebuild on scien- 
tific lines. The best way to accomplish this would be to have 
fires started in sections of the city when a tornado is blowing a 
gale of 60 miles an hour, the firemen devoting their energies to 
protecting people, but not putting a hand to a hose to combat 
the ravages of the flames. 

A good street-car system courses the city and outlying dis- 
tricts, but the fare, like the steamship charge, is too high. There 
are first-class and second-class cars, and the fare for first-class 
is six cents and second-class five cents. The United States and 
her colonies are the only territories we have traveled in where a 
receipt is not given a passenger for his street car fare. 

Manila has few good buildings, in which respect the Philip- 
pine capital differs from cities in British colonies, but after 
Manila has been under American control from 50 to 100 years 
there will no doubt be a better showing in this respect. 

We had reached another place where potatoes do not grow, 
where one gets only condensed milk for his coffee, where meat 
and flour are imported from Australia, and cabbage, onions, 
celery and cauliflower come from other countries; where vac- 
cination is the first precaution suggested for the preservation of 
life ; where one is apt to become sick if he drinks water that has 
not been boiled; where one dare not, if life should be dear to 
him, eat a piece of raw carrot or other vegetable, or even fruit, 
that grows near the earth ; where every one sleeps under netting 



356 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

at night to keep the mosquito from injecting into his system 
malaria fever germs, and where one must not forget to keep a 
weather-eye out for the bubonic flea. Everything unerringly 
suggests that the tropics have been reached. 

Doctors say it is not necessary to drink whisky in the Philip- 
pines to ward ofE disease, but as cooks are liable to forget to 
boil the water, few of the old " tropicalians," while in sympathy 
with medical oracles, seem to place faith in the mindfulness of 
island cooks. Convulsions and consumption are, in order, the 
causes from which most people die in Manila. The death rate 
per i,ooo of the total population is 39.61. 

New Year's eve was celebrated in the usual American style, 
with floats on motor-cars and wagons moving about the streets. 
On one motor-car was a large barrel, which looked like a 
street sprinkler. A white canvas covered the sides and there 
was printed on the cloth in large black letters, " Keep oif the 
water wagon ! " 

The hours of work are too long in that climate. In most hot 
countries the working time does not exceed eight hours a day, 
and in other tropical climes seven hours is the rule. But Ameri- 
cans work nine and ten hours a day. 

On the Luneta, an inviting stretch of green sward, located 
along the shore of the bay and between the walls of the old city 
and a residential section, concerts are given by a good band six 
evenings during the week. The entertainments continue for 
an hour, from 6 to 7 o'clock, and, judging by the crowds in 
attendance, are much appreciated. At these concerts the Fili- 
pino appears at his best, so far as clothes go. He is vain 
as a negro in show of clothes, and if European clothes meant 
advancement for native races the Filipino would claim first 
place. He often appears much neater than the European. 

As with most colored races, the Filipinos are ingrates. They 
were neglected under Spanish rule, it is safe to presume, and 
now, when a stable system of government has been fixed, and 
schools, sound money, sewerage, better water, better wages, bet- 
ter treatment, and a brighter future have been provided, they 
Still askj " What is the United States going to do for us? " All 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 357 

the governors of the provinces are natives, but the treasurers 
of provinces are mostly Americans. This may be changed in 
the future, but a return to the former custom — a white man 
to handle the money — would soon follow, for very good 
reasons. 

The worst railroad trains ever ridden on were those running 
from Manila. I traveled as far as San Fernando, 38 miles 
from the capital, and the time required to cover that distance 
was 3 hours and 48 minutes. Another trip was made from 
Cavite to Manila, 25 miles separating the two points, and two 
and a half hours was the time it took to cover that distance. 
In both instances the track was level. The ten-ton engine 
drawing a train over a two-foot gauge up the Himalaya moun- 
tains made as good time. Third-class fare is too high for poor 
natives; two cents a mile is too much. Steamship fare for 
coastwise ships is exorbitant. If the owners of railroad 
lines and coastwise ship owners do not make money in the 
Philippines, it will not be because they do not charge 
enough. 

Native women walking about smoking big, black cigars do 
not look very edifying. They may be seen any time in the 
streets, puffing rings of smoke from cigars or cigarettes. 

Unlike other countries visited, few of the natives in Manila 
were in their bare feet — even the children wore neat-looking 
sandals. 

A starched, springy cloth is worn about the neck of the 
women, shaped like a horse-collar. The " collar " is tied in 
front with a knot, and rests on the shoulders and neck. In 
size and design it is larger than a horse-collar, and the women 
are constantly touching it, first on one side and next on the 
other, to keep it straight or in right position. The " collars " 
are sometimes of silk and of varied colors. 

Windows without panes of glass are seen here, formed by 
upright panels, an inch wide, nailed to a crosspiece three inches 
wide, each having four such crosspieces. Intersecting the spaces 
made by the panels and crosspieces are smaller pieces of lath, 
which form three-inch squares in the window. In these three- 



358 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

inch squares flat pieces of light-colored seashell are placed, which 
admit light, but through which the hot sun cannot penetrate. 
The windows do not raise or swing, but slide from side to side, 
when closing or opening. Panes of glass are seen occasionally, 
but these are often painted a dark color to keep out the sun. 
Sunshine seldom reaches a room, as windows are closed on the 
sunny sides during the day. 

The natives* homes put one in mind of a squirrel's nest in a 
tree. Often they are hid with banana bushes and other growths 
from every side. The huts are built on poles from three to 
ten feet from the ground. The frame is composed of round 
and split bamboo, and the covering is generally of what is com- 
monly known as nipa palm. They all have a few chickens and 
a pig. Their food is mostly fish and rice. 

The presence of chickens about natives' homes Is accounted 
for by their weakness for cock fights. Cockpits are no 
longer allowed within the city limits, but, as Manila does not 
cover a large area, from 15 minutes to half an hour's ride in a 
calesa will find one at a pit where the native sport is taking 
place. Gambling is the incentive for that sport, and so long 
as a Filipino can gamble he will not work. 

Prize fights are not permitted in the Philippines, and it is a 
criminal offense for a newspaper to publish a challenge for 
bouts. Americans of sporting ilk find Manila an uncomfortable 
place to live in. Every once in a while groups of free-and-easy 
characters are rounded up by the authorities, taken to a ship 
sailing for the United States, when they unwillingly bid good- 
by to Manila's shores. 

The climate of Manila differs from that of other countries the 
same distance from the equator. A majority of Europeans 
wear the same kind of hats as are worn in the States. Neither 
were white clothes much worn. In other sections close to the 
equator one would fall from sunstroke did he not wear a 
helmet or some other heavy head-covering. 

The city and country around Manila is flat and swampy. 
When a season of heavy rain occurs the suburbs are partly under 
water, many of the streets being in a deplorable condition. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 359 

Both the sewerage and water systems are modern, however, but 
some of the business streets are poorly paved. 

Several daily newspapers are printed in the capital, but, aside 
from a white man being in charge, the printers are mostly 
natives. The same applies to the island printing office located 
in Manila. Wages paid the native printers are from $i8 to 
$25 a month. Laborers receive from 50 to 75 cents a day. 
American mechanics receive about the same wages as those paid 
in the States. 

Soldiers, in khaki uniforms, are always to be seen about the 
streets of Manila, a fort being located just outside the city. A 
similar uniform is worn by the British troops in some of their 
colonies, but the uniform worn by the American soldier looks 
neater, for the reason that the American uniform is starched, 
while the Britisher's is ironed. Both police and soldiers are 
gentlemanly fellows. 

Evicting the dead sounds strange, but this takes place in 
Paco Cemetery, in Manila. The dead are placed in niches 
built in a wall, from six to seven feet thick, which encloses an 
area of three acres of land. The wall is perhaps eight feet 
high, and three niches, or burial places, are built one under the 
other, with a wall partition between. Rent must be paid for 
these niches, and when friends fail to meet the bills the remains 
are taken out and placed in a heap with others formerly evicted. 
One may pay rent for these burial vaults as long as he wishes, 
but from five to ten years seemed to be the length of time rela- 
tives retained regard for the departed. The graveyard is over 
a hundred years old, but the dates appearing on the slabs of the 
vaults bear record only of deaths within five to ten years. All 
the burial places are not like Paco, however, as in a number of 
cemeteries the dead are placed underground. The total num- 
ber of vaults in Paco Cemetery will accommodate 1,782 bodies. 

Hotel accommodation can be had for $2 a day. Boarding 
houses charge from $40 to $60 a month. Similar articles cost 
considerably more in Manila than they do in the States. No 
duty is levied on American imports when brought to the islands 
in American ships. 



36o SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Manila is divided by the Pasig River, and a busy shipping 
place it is. North of the Pasig is the business center of the city, 
and, save for some shipping, there is little business on the other 
side of the dividing water. The old v^^alled city, however, is 
located south of the Pasig. The wall itself is the oldest on 
American soil. Compared with that at Canton, it is lim- 
ited, as the Manila wall contains an area of less than a mile. 
Its construction was started in 1591, but was not completed until 
1872. The Spaniards did not seem to be in much of a hurry to 
finish the work. However, it served as a protection from 
assaults by Chinese and by the Moros ; but in 1 762 the English 
led a successful attack on this defense. Built in the walls are 
numerous chambers which had been used as cells for prisoners, 
and in some of these, after American occupation, were found in- 
struments of torture, and even human bones. The churches 
and convents still stand behind the strong walls, and bear wit- 
ness to the suffering, bravery and endurance in the early history 
of the Philippines. Some of the buildings in Intramuros are 
used as government offices. Originally seven gates led to the 
enclosure, but the Americans decided these were not enough, 
and two more openings were made. The fort and enclosure 
were built to command a wide view of Manila Bay, allowing a 
good stretch of land to intervene between the historic wall and 
the shore. 

Manila has a splendid fire department, good schools, numer- 
ous churches, museums and libraries, theaters, sports grounds, 
hospitals, charities organizations, a very good municipal ice 
manufacturing plant, and club buildings. One will find in that 
far-off possession most of the advantages to be had in the cities 
of the United States. 

Baseball games are played here the year round, and the 
Filipino clubs make a good showing. 

Good steamship accommodation could formerly be had for 
$125 on intermediate ships from Manila to San Francisco, but 
recently the rate has advanced $50. On the larger ships, first- 
class, the fare is $250. The sailing time between the two 
points is about a month, the distance being 8,000 miles. Much 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 361 

cheaper rates can be had on Japanese ships, second-class, but if 
one can afford the difference in price the $175 rate is worth the 
increased sum in accommodation. The increase of $50 on the 
intermediate vessels has diverted considerable travel from 
American to Japanese ships, because many people cannot afford 
to pay the higher sum. 



CHAPTER IV 

We left Manila with passage paid to San Francisco. Out 
through the splendid bay we sailed, when the ship was headed 
for Hongkong, where ships were changed. Leaving at night, a 
flare of light in the business center of Hongkong gradually 
tapered up the side of the mountain to the fort on the summit, 
nearly 2,000 feet. We had started for Shanghai, China. 
Every ship that leaves Hongkong for San Francisco, of what- 
ever nationality, has Americans aboard. After two and a half 
days' sailing the ship anchored off Wusung, where the sea was 
yellow with the muddy water of the great Yangtse River delta. 
A ship tender was boarded and a start made up the Huangpu 
River, which was crowded with ships, and along and away 
from the banks smoke-stacks towered for 14 miles, when 
the boat was made fast to a wharf at Shanghai. From the 
wharf, looking over a strip of green, there rose a wall of big, 
solid, clean-looking business buildings, nearly as good as one 
will find in any city of the world. 

One has a varied choice of post offices in Shanghai, as there 
are seven, representing as many nationalities. These are 
French, Russian, German, American, British, Japanese and 
Chinese. Shanghai is another Chinese city known as a " treaty 
port," which signifies that China had granted land concessions 
to one or more nations, on which to build cities — forts, if 
necessary — and collect revenues from imports, and in some in- 
stances from exports, passing through the treaty port. Chinese 
live in some of the concessions, but they make their home in 
these districts only by sufferance of the country, or countries, to 
whom these tracts have been granted. The Chinese residents 
have neither voice nor vote in the smallest matters pertaining to 
the general government of treaty settlements. Large numbers 
of Chinese living in both the French and International Settle- 

362 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 363 

ments found protection under these flags during native wars, 
when their own country could not ofFer them a place of safety. 

In 1843 British troops occupied Shanghai, and by that means 
a land concession was gained from China. About the same 
time the United States was granted a similar concession, and 
seven years later France had also acquired a land grant there. 
The American and British concessions were amalgamated in 
1863, but France would not join the two English-speaking na- 
tions in the formation of one foreign settlement. The title of 
the American and English land tract is " The Foreign Com- 
munity of Shanghai North of the Yangkingpang," but the terri- 
tory is commonly termed " The International Settlement." 
Since the pooling of interests by England and the United States 
additional territory has been acquired from China, until the In- 
ternational Settlement now comprises an area of 6,000 acres of 
land ; while France, choosing independence, has only the original 
concession, 358 acres. Self-governing powers are exercised by 
the International Settlement, which includes imposing taxation 
and policing the territory. A council governs the Settlement, 
and the members are elected by European residents who pay a 
house rental of $400 and by landowners whose property valu- 
ation would bring that sum annually if rented. Land cannot 
be bought outright for building or speculative purposes, as the 
land was conceded on terms of perpetual lease. No matter how 
much interests a Chinaman may have within the Settlement 
boundary he cannot vote on municipal matters. Harbor dues, 
import and export taxes — any revenue from commerce passing 
in or going out through the section of the harbor owned by the 
respective countries — is collected by the officials of that coun- 
try. The United States has the better section of the water- 
front, but English and Japanese ships practically control the 
trade of that important port. 

Shanghai is the distributing center for the commerce of the 
thickly populated sections on the Yangtse River. Large ships 
can travel on the Yangtse in certain seasons of the year as far 
inland as Hankow, 600 miles from the delta. Then smaller 
vessels go on to Ichang, 400 miles still further inland, and river 



364 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

craft from there carry cargoes to Soufu, 500 miles further, or 
1,500 miles inland from Shanghai. The total length of the 
Yangste, which rises in the mountains of Thibet, with its trib- 
utaries, is 3,000 miles. The width of the river at the delta is 
30 miles. Shanghai is mentioned in history dating back 2,000 
years. 

Professional mourners, or weepers, at funerals is an occupa- 
tion in China that brings in a good fee, if the weeper be a good 
crier. Preceding a funeral is what one may term a band, the 
instruments producing noise being brass pans or trays, beaten by 
men. After the pan-beaters come several Chinese, wearing 
high, fluffy hats. The coffin, which is generally a log of wood 
shaped out and of cylindrical form, follows the men wearing the 
strange headgear. The coffin is borne on two bamboo poles, two 
Chinamen at each end — four carriers in all. Relatives and 
friends of the deceased follow, either walking or riding in a 
ricksha, wheelbarrow, or carriage. Among this group a woman 
will be heard crying lustily. It is really touching to hear the 
deep intonations of grief as vented in a loud, mournful sound, 
until it becomes known that the apparently grief-stricken woman 
is a professional mourner, never having known the deceased 
in life. 

Women and men do not play parts together on a Chinese 
theatrical stage. The actresses generally wear long beards and 
mope around the stage, showing no more life than that of a 
snake when the frost is being thawed out of his body by an 
early springtime sun. To a European the plot is long drawn 
out, lifeless, and even tedious. But the Chinese have a way 
of overcoming this, as tea drinking seems to be as much a 
factor of the playhouse as the performance. Small tables rest- 
ing on bamboo-pole legs are placed about the seating space of 
the theater. One will no sooner have got settled in the seat 
than a waiter will appear and place a teapot and cup and saucer 
before the attendant. Neither milk nor sugar accompanies the 
tea, and the charge is ten cents. In a short time another 
waiter, carrying in his hand a stack of steaming towels, will 
stop at the table and lay a hot cloth over the teapot. He 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 365 

pauses, for the price of the towel is five cents. Later, still 
another towel fellow stops, removes the one the first man 
placed over the teapot, puts a fresh steaming cloth over it, waits 
until he has received the five cents, and walks on. The hot 
towel serves a dual purpose — keeps the tea warm, and is used 
on the face and hands to regale the weary theatergoers while 
enduring the mopy performance. In the cheaper section of a 
theater, what looks like a store counter is built, from which the 
" gallery gods " drink tea. 

The Chinese of Shanghai appeared to be in better circum- 
stances than those in Canton. The young women are very dis- 
tinctive, and were seen to better advantage than in other places. 
The millinery era has not reached China, so far as applies to 
Chinese women, and for that reason most of them go about 
without head covering. When one is seen wearing anything 
on the head, it is generally a man's cap. Chinese women are 
very particular about their hair, and, when not all combed back, 
it rests on the forehead, like bangs. Hundreds of young women 
may be seen with bare head, wearing a shiny silk jacket and 
snug-fitting trousers. They are straight as an arrow, and their 
rosy cheeks, unassuming manners, tidy hair, and generally neat 
appearance unite to their credit. The Chinese boys are mis- 
chievous little fellows, and all the children seemed fat and 
strong, with rosy cheeks. The " Chink kid " was the most 
attractive we had met. All the children seemed to have double 
the amount of clothes necessary, and most of them wore bulky 
shoes, made of grass and reeds, 

Chinese cooks, as a rule, are paid no regular salary. They 
agree to feed a family for a certain sum a month, and the 
money not used out of the fixed food allowance is his. He does 
the marketing, and it is needless to add there is some sharp bar- 
gaining between grocer and butcher and the cook. For a 
European family of six a cook would agree to furnish food for 
from $50 to $60 a month. Beef and mutton sold at 15 cents a 
pound. Vegetables, however, were proportionately cheaper. 

One of the courts of the Settlement is known as " the Mixed 
Court." A Chinese judge presides, but there is always an 



366 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

American or an English official sitting on the bench with the 
native judge. Punishment is meted out to the native not as 
the Chinese authority would have it, but as the white officials 
suggest. Most of the black and yellow races prefer to be ad- 
judged by a white man, for a white judge will have more of the 
milk of human kindness in his heart than a colored official. 
Like Indians, the upper class of Chinese seem to be little con- 
cerned about the condition of the poor and starving. The well- 
to-do Chinese give alms to the needy often, to be sure, but that 
apparently laudable trait is practiced more out of fear of a 
beggar's curse, when evil days would befall him. The high- 
caste Indian also gives to mendicants to ward off evil days. 

The Native City is located outside the bounds of the Settle- 
ments concession, where Chinese were as numerous, and the 
streets as narrow, as some in Canton, but of much smaller area. 
Some of the territory within the wall was under water — a 
pond — over which a bridge had been built. The bridge was 
purposely built nearly zigzag to foil the Evil One if he should 
pursue any of them. Beggars were very numerous in that sec- 
tion of Shanghai, and the mothers, like those seen in Canton, 
begged, at the same time holding up the little hand of a babe, 
in which one might put any offering. The Long-Hau pagoda, 
seven stories in height, located outside the city, is a credit to 
Chinese skill. 

Few horses were seen drawing loads in Shanghai, Most of 
the cartage and trucking is done on bamboo poles by Chinamen 
and with hand trucks, pulled by ropes and shoved. Five 
Chinese pull the same load a horse would draw. 

The condition of the ricksha pullers of Shanghai is pitiable. 
Fifteen thousand Chinese are engaged in this occupation, some 
of them so weak that they frequently fall to the ground from 
exhaustion, caused by an empty stomach. When a Chinaman 
quails under hard work it is because he has not a fighting 
chance to make a showing. Chinese pay them two and three 
cents for a ride, while Europeans pay five cents and over. The 
owners of the rickshas pay 75 cents a month to the Settlement 
as a license fee, and the puller must pay the owner 40 cents a 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 367 

day. Often, when a puller has not earned the rental sum, 40 
cents, he will remain in the streets all day and most of the 
night in the hope of at least earning the required charge. If 
he cannot pay the 40 cents he is deprived of his occupation until 
he has settled for the last ricksha. 

The wheelbarrow of this city, used to carry passengers and 
move goods, is the oddest device in use the world over. It 
differs from similar vehicles in that the wheel is in the center 
of the frame instead of in front. Above the wheel is also a 
frame, on which to carry articles of light weight. A rope is 
tied to each end of the barrow handles, and the loop rests on 
the Chinaman's neck, passing under his arms. A Chinaman 
will wheel a weight of half a ton for miles on this crude device. 
An article may weigh 500 pounds which cannot be divided 
— must be carried on one side, the other side free of weight — 
yet he will short-step along with the one-sided load until he 
has reached his destination. The barrow will not tip over. 
On each side of the wheel may often be seen sitting Chinese 
women with bare heads, wearing white blouses with pink 
stripes about the sleeves, with baggy velvet trousers, and snow- 
white stockings showing over neat, boat-shaped, black or colored 
velvet shoes. Passengers get a long ride on the wheelbarrow 
for from two to five cents. The owner pays a license fee of 
40 cents a month for his crude vehicle. 

Windows of Chinese temples, and sometimes other buildings, 
are the same as those seen in Manila — light colored seashell. 

Both the dollar and the tael are in use in Shanghai, the 
former worth from 40 to 50 cents and the tael about 65 cents. 

Chinese mechanics are paid from 20 to 40 cents a day. 
Printers receive $10 to $18 a month. The working time is 
eight or nine hours a day. Carpenters were on strike for an 
increase of from two to five cents a day. If a Chinaman hod- 
carrier, or one working at unskilled labor, should be taken 
sick, the wife will often take his place until her husband is able 
to resume work. 

An unfriendly feeling seemed to be harbored toward Ameri- 
cans by other Europeans living in the Chinese coast cities. It 



368 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

was claimed that since American occupation of the Philippines 
the cost of living had advanced 50 per cent., as the influx of 
Europeans to the islands had created a greater demand for 
Chinese meat, vegetables and other necessities. Hotel expenses 
were very reasonable in Shanghai, however, as $1.50 a day 
only was paid. 

Bombay, India, was the most attractive city visited in the 
East, and Shanghai, China, with a population of a million in- 
habitants, was the second best city. Between the landing place 
on the river and the splendid front of buildings that give a 
visitor his first impression of the metropolis of the Yangtse is a 
stretch of green, grass-covered land, known as the Bund. To 
the right, opening off the park strip, are the Public Gardens. 
A good street car system is a feature of the city, and electric 
lights are numerous. In any direction one may look, enter- 
prise and good management are in evidence. The river is 
teeming with craft, large and small vessels loading and unload- 
ing at each side of the waterway, and high smoke-stacks, rising 
from cotton and paper mills and shipbuilding yards, add much 
to the thrifty surroundings; then large oil tanks, busy ware- 
houses, and the gunboats of great nations anchored in the 
river give the place a metropolitan appearance, while the 
buildings at every turn are good. The streets are crowded 
with people, and the stores filled with purchasers, most of the 
merchants in that section of the city being Europeans. The 
attractive buildings on the Bund do not comprise all of the good 
buildings of Shanghai, for some of the homes, built of red and 
gray-colored brick, two and three stories in height, are good 
to look at. Then there are sidewalks to the Shanghai streets, 
which are well paved with asphalt and granite blocks, and 
these are kept clean. Many churches are to be seen. Schools 
are frequently met with, and parks have been placed at conven- 
ient sections; also a horse racecourse, sports grounds, and good 
hospitals. In fact, both English and United States officials have 
done well in the upbuilding of the International Settlement. 

Down the Huangpu River, the channel walled by merchant 
ships and gunboats, we sail to Wusung, where an American 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 369 

ship was boarded for Japan. Most of the passengers came from 
Manila, and were returning to the States to regain their health 
and seek employment in a country where people can drink water 
and eat raw fruit or vegetables, whether grown in the ground or 
on trees. The first thing noticed among the passengers "was 
the absence of strong drink during meals. Stimulants are a 
feature at mealtime with almost every other nationality travel- 
ing in the Far East. A day and a half's sail through the base of 
the Yellow Sea brought us to Nagasaki, Japan, 

After the vessel had anchored, flat boats or scows loaded with 
coal, and also with Japanese men and women, were seen head- 
ing toward her. The women were to help load the ship with 
bunker coal. Each woman and girl had over her head a white 
cloth, with large, black Japanese characters stamped in the 
print. Grass baskets, that hold but a shovelful, are used to 
coal ships at this Japanese port. The scows have been made 
fast to the ship, the baskets are being filled, the coal passing 
line is formed from the barge to the vessel, extending up a 
ladder to a hatch over the bunkers. The tidy looking women 
are now passing baskets from one to the other as quickly as one 
would hand a plate to another if needed at once. A stream 
of these is constantly being tossed from one to the other, and 
small girls are engaged at returning the empty ones to the 
scow. Two, and even three, streams of coal run into the 
bunkers from one scow by means of the handleless baskets, and, 
as from three to five scows will be unloading at the same time 
from both sides of the vessel, it will be understood what a 
large quantity of fuel can be emptied into a ship from ten to 
fifteen of these coal lines. The time required to furnish a 
vessel with bunker coal in this manner is from four to five 
hours. The wages of the coal passers are based on the amount 
of coal a ship takes on, as an equal sum is paid the coalers. 
This amounts to from 15 to 25 cents each. As many as 500 
Japanese — mostly women — keep life in their bodies by this 
means of employment. 

The harbor was attractively dotted with partly green islands, 
and in front the country was hilly and mostly terraced. The 



370 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

terraced hills are the " farms " of the people. Every inch of 
land that can be built up with rock to a level surface is used to 
grow vegetables and other products. 

Oxen, hitched to carts and wearing grass shoes, was some- 
thing that had not been seen — the grass shoes — in other 
countries. A grass string passed between the hoofs, which was 
connected with another grass string or rope wound about the 
fetlock. These held on the shoe, or grass mat, protecting the 
hoofs from wear on the roads. 

In India boards are sawed from logs while sticking in the 
air at an angle of 35 degrees, with one man on the log pulling a 
crosscut saw, and another under, on a platform, pulling the 
saw downward after the fellow on top had pulled the saw up. 
At Nagasaki boards were being cut from logs by hand also, 
but the sawyer stood on the ground and ripped the log from the 
side, in the same way that meat is carved. The saw was two 
feet long and a foot wide, with deep teeth, and with that im- 
plement slabs were being ripped off logs 20 feet in length. 
Like the Indian, the Jap pulls a plane toward him, while a 
white carpenter shoves a plane from him. Still, one may see 
any day in New York City men " chopping " wood with 
granite blocks. 

While the rest of Japan was closed to foreigners, Nagasaki, 
for 200 years before the country was thrown open to the 
world, was an open port, and even then life was none too 
safe, as missionaries had been killed in that section. Nagasaki 
has a population of 150,000, and most of the people are engaged 
at coaling ships, working in a shipyard, or in pottery works. 
The streets are narrow, but tidier than those seen in some 
cities left behind, and the homes small, none higher than two 
stories, mostly of wood construction. Ricksha pullers in this 
place were a pest. 



CHAPTER V 

Nagasaki was left behind when a start was made through 
the Inland Sea for Kobe, a day's sail separating the two ports. 
The sail is an attractive one, as this stretch of water is thickly 
dotted with islands. Were the vegetation tropical it would 
favorably compare with the journey through the Fiji group. 
The Inland Sea is generally calm, and foreign ships, together 
with those of Japan's large fleet of merchantmen, were winding 
and twisting about the islands in every section of the noted 
land-locked waterway. The vessel we boarded at Shanghai 
was the third one since leaving Manila. Our journey through 
Japan from Kobe will be by rail. 

The ship anchored in the bay, and passengers were brought 
to the wharves in tenders. Modern buildings were in evi- 
dence, and street cars and railroad trains were running through 
the city. In general, Kobe presents a much better appearance 
than Nagasaki. 

Almost every woman seen in Japan has a child on her back, 
the mother's custom of carrying her babe, and most of the 
girls also wear a bulky piece of cloth likewise, which is tied about 
the waist. On a farm where there are no reckless boys, and 
the head of the family is satisfied with the easier ways of life, 
a colt may be seen walking about a pasture or enclosure with a 
sack of grain tied to its back; this is put on the colt's back to 
break it in to ride. The bundles on the girls' backs looked as 
if they had been placed there for the initial lesson in carrying 
a baby. The knapsack-like cloth is called the obi. Japanese 
fathers seemed to take more interest in their children than 
Chinese parents, as we cannot recall seeing a Chinaman carry- 
ing a child. 

The Japanese home is the flimsiest anywhere. Thin pine 
boards, with paper windows and doors, generally one-story 

371 



372 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

and attic, constitute their shell-like dwelling. Low stools and 
mats are prominent household accessories, but no chairs or 
tables. A mat on the floor serves as the seat in a Japanese 
home, which is neat, and the people present a favorable ap- 
pearance. The roof is its most substantial feature, being 
covered with black tiles. The doors slide to one side. Cross- 
pieces and upright panels compose the frames of doors, and 
the squares in windows, which in Manila are of seashell, are 
covered with paper in Japan. The paper is frequently broken, 
when new " window panes " replace the torn ones. 

The household stove of Japan is a portable earthen bucket, 
generally white in color, with a handle. Charcoal is the fuel 
generally used. This stove cooks the food of the family and 
also provides heat in cold weather. The family may be seen 
squatting about the" white earthen bucket with twice as many 
hands over the fire as there are members of the household. 
A fan serves to coax the charcoal along. 

While the Japanese are poor, they seem to be well supplied 
with clothing. The flimsy character of the homes may ac- 
count for the thickness of cloth worn, as the weather gets cold 
in Japan, ice and snow being in evidence. The kimono is 
worn entirely by women, and generally by men. Occasionally 
a man will be seen wearing European clothes, but Japanese 
women are always dressed in the native garb. Some of the 
small boys wear a helmet after the style worn with a coat 
of mail, and look really warlike in them. 

Both Nagasaki and Kobe are located on hilly ground, which 
necessitates the building of walls in frequent sections of the 
cities. These walls are very sound, and a feature of them 
worth mentioning is that no mortar appears to have been used 
in their construction. 

Most of the modern buildings here were built by firms from 
other countries, but there are also modern native structures. 
The business quarters have sidewalks, but away from that sec- 
tion there are none. No street paving was seen either in Kobe 
or Nagasaki. On the hillsides the soil seemed to be hard, and 
in the level sections loose gravel was used for paving. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 373 

No cabs were seen in Kobe, but street cars and rickshas were 
plentiful. Street-car fare ranged from one and one-half to 
four cents. The ricksha pullers of Kobe were an improve- 
ment on some of the starved Chinese pullers of Shanghai. A 
great many of the pullers of Japan have no shoes on their feet, 
but wear cloth, generally white, for protection. Walking over 
gravel roads did not seem to bother the Japanese ricksha pullers. 

Kobe has a population of nearly half a million, and is second 
to Yokohama in importance as a seaport, much tea being ex- 
ported from this port. Behind the city rises a range of high 
hills, covered with pine trees — a natural park. In front is 
a splendid bay, from which rises many masts and smoke funnels 
from vessels at anchor. Some of the streets are of good width 
and others are very narrow, but all are clean. Attractive 
homes have been built on the hillsides, but the high gates and 
fenced and walled enclosures lend to the dwellings the air of 
a prison. 

Cloth grain sacks are never seen in the Orient. Anything 
of that nature which contains goods is made of grass. 

In the railway stations of Japan are kept on file publications 
of current dates. This unusual custom seems to be appreciated 
by the traveling public, as many passengers may be seen turn- 
ing page after page of the periodicals while waiting for a train. 
The railways are government owned, and the fare, first-class, 
is two cents, second-class one cent, and third-class one half cent 
a mile. Some of the first-class coaches contain wicker chairs, 
with observation platform at the rear. Second- and third-class 
coaches are provided with cushioned seats at the side of the 
car. The width of the tracks is from three to four feet, and 
the fastest schedule is 35 miles an hour. Meals on trains cost 
50 cents. By paying a small additional sum, through steamship 
passengers may travel by rail on their steamship ticket from 
either Nagasaki or Kobe to Yokohama, or vice versa, with 
stop-over privileges at any point. Many passengers take ad- 
vantage of this liberal concession. No stations are announced, 
but the name is printed in big letters on a wide board. 
Strangers are informed of their destination by a trainman 



374 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

shortly after the train has pulled away from the preceding sta- 
tion. The signs at stations prove a better guide to foreigners, 
as Europeans are termed in Japan, than announcing them, for 
words sound so much different when spoken in the native 
tongue. 

We have reached Osaka, the second largest city in Japan. 
This city has a million inhabitants, and is a very important 
commercial center. Few horses or oxen were seen here, most 
of the cartage being done on two-wheeled trucks by men, women, 
and boys. Chinese truckmen pull their loads with a rope passed 
over the shoulder, but the Japanese pulls his load by his breast. 
A pad is laid across his chest and a rope is put over, the ends 
of which are generally fastened to the axle of the truck. It is 
hard to believe that human beings can do the work of horses, 
mules, and motor trucks in a manufacturing city of a million 
inhabitants, but they really do so. 

Carriages or taxicabs were not seen in the city. Ricksha is 
the means by which luggage is carried and places reached when 
traveling other than by street car. Street cars in Osaka are 
crowded all day. Unless a car is boarded at its starting point, 
it is generally a case of holding on to a strap. Four and a 
half cents is charged for a street-car ticket, but there is a 
coupon to each, which is good for a return journey — two and 
one-quarter cents a ride. Cars are numerous, single-decked, 
and they travel fast. Traffic is so heavy that two conductors 
are required to collect the fares. 

The theater district of Broadway, New York City, is termed 
the " Great White Way," but some of the streets on which 
bioscope and other theaters are located in Osaka also cast a 
great flare of light at night. The attractions are printed on 
cloth of bright color, secured to poles extending from build- 
ings on each side. These signs, all printed in Japanese char- 
acters, meet in the center of the street, and large arc lights, 
some of them red instead of white, illuminate the surround- 
ings. This, together with music, noise, and the crowds pack- 
ing the streets from curb to curb, may appropriately be termed 
" The Great Colored Way." It is a sidelight^^ of life in another 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 375 

part of the world that has to be seen to be understood. No ex- 
pense is spared in lighting in front of amusement buildings in 
Osaka. The price of admission is five and ten cents, and the 
places are jammed during opening hours. 

The unit of money in Japan is the yen, which is 50 cents in 
American coin. The half-yen is a silver piece; some of the 
lower coins are also silver, others nickel and copper. Sen is 
used as the American cent, and 100 sen makes a yen. The 
plural is never used in yen or sen, always 30 sen and 20 yen. 
A sen is one-half of a cent. 

A few wide streets course the city, and modern business 
buildings show up here and there, but aside from these the 
buildings are of wood and the streets narrow. No paving, 
however, covered the streets, neither were sidewalks in evi- 
dence. A river flows through the city, which serves as good 
drainage to this populous center. 

The price of food is much higher in Japan than in India 
and China. With the exception of Singapore and Canton, 
hotel expenses did not exceed $2 a day, but $2.50 was the 
cheapest for accommodation in most Japanese cities. Though 
all wanted $3 a day, a little haggling brought the price down a 
yen. In our hotel in Osaka the room was heated by a small 
charcoal stove, of an upright gas-stove shape, instead of the 
bucket kind. On first sight it seemed a joke, but it took the 
chill off the room in a short time nevertheless. 

A pleasant change in hotel service was met with here. With 
the exception of Australia and New Zealand, and one place in 
Durban, South Africa, at every place we stopped male servants 
were the rule. After leaving South America these were black 
men. With two exceptions, Delhi and Benares, there was no 
such personage as a woman housekeeper seen about the hotels — 
men, men, men at every place. But in Osaka, a rosy-cheeked 
Japanese girl, with the " training saddle " tied to her back, 
placed the charcoal in the stove, and fiery embers were slid on 
top from a dustpan shovel ; in the dining-room, also, the girls, 
in their counterless slippers, would shufile, shuffle, shuffle their 
feet from the dining-room to the kitchen, and soon shuffle back 



376 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

with the ordered food — the sound of the girls' feet more 
amusing than annoying. One wonders how hotels in some 
countries exist, for often not more than half a dozen guests are 
living in a big hostelry. The trade seems to come from for- 
eigners only, for seldom is a Japanese seen about. 

Osaka was my first stop from Kobe, and, inquiring from a 
young man how I might reach a certain point, he volunteered 
to show me about the city. His kind offer was accepted. He 
proved to be a professional man, could speak some English, and 
seemed to take delight in doing me the slightest kindness. He 
took me to a splendid park and other places of interest, and 
insisted on paying his own street car and ricksha fares. 

The working hours in Japan are ten a day. Mechanics re- 
ceive 75 cents and laborers from 30 to 40 cents a day. Rice, 
fish, and tea seemed to be the principal food, and if the quan- 
tities of food were no larger in proportion than some of the 
teacups in use, people live cheaply. A man seen eating a bowl 
of fish and rice with chopsticks was asked what he had paid 
for it, a vendor having just sold it; he said 30 sen — 15 cents. 
Ten cents would seem a big price for the same portion in 
America. 

Osaka is intersected by canals, and over a thousand bridges 
within the city lines cross these waterways, resembling Amster- 
dam, Holland, in this respect. There are nearly 2,000 places 
of worship, hundreds of schools, colleges, and academies, five 
daily newspapers, paper mills, machine shops, and an arsenal. 
Tea, silk, and copper figure largely in the exports from that 
busy center. 

If few modern buildings, narrow streets, latticed front and 
part paper homes, one story in height, and shops located in 
these buildings, illustrate Japanese progress, then Kyoto, next 
visited, is to the fore. The old west capital, as Kyoto is termed, 
puts one in mind of a pile of wood boxes that have been 
gathered together to make a bonfire. This city is one huge 
tinder box. In size Kyoto is the third city of Japan, with a 
population of half a million people, and it is the bucket stove 
alone that saves the residents from becoming homeless through 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 377 

the ravages of fire, for if wood and coal stoves vs^ere used there 
would be frequent conflagrations. The roofs are covered with 
black tiling, and the houses have no chimneys. 

The bazaars or shopping centers of these cities are busy 
olaces, and resemble an arcade. These are formed by reed 
blinds being placed above the street, which, pulled by ropes, 
roll on wires and stretch across, preventing the sun from shin- 
ing below — similar to those in Canton. Meat is scarce about 
these shopping places, but rice, beans, dried fish, and vegetables 
are much in evidence. Radishes serve the same purpose in 
Japan as potatoes in America; they grow as large as a big 
cucumber, and when numerous in vegetable stalls an unpleas- 
ant odor arises from them. 

When a horse or an ox was seen drawing a truck, the 
driver was always found at the side, or leading it by a rope ; it 
seemed to be the custom not to ride in a loaded vehicle. Cabs 
are not seen in the city, ricksha pullers doing the hack work. 
A great many of the public streets are too narrow for a car- 
riage to pass through. Men do most of the trucking. 

Pulling a rope depending from a bell, to warn the spirits that 
a devotee has come to worship at a shrine, is a national re- 
ligious custom of Japan. In front of each temple a thick rope 
dangles from a bell above, and, as the finger-soiled Bible in- 
dicates the owner's studious religious tendencies, so does the 
frayed ropes attest the frequency with which worshippers sum- 
mon the spirits to bear witness to the supplicant's invocations. 

Kyoto is well provided with attractive temples, built during 
the residence in that city of the governing powers. These 
buildings, like the homes, are constructed of wood, and as one 
walks about the churches the floors often squeak. As in India, 
shoes must be covered with canvas slippers before entering. 
The Japanese, also like Indian worshipers, leave their clogs 
or sandals outside. Priests are in attendance, and one of these 
escorts a stranger through the building. If the temple be a 
Shinto place of worship the priests are considered descendants 
of the Sun. In one respect there is no similarity between the 
priests here and those met in India, as the Japanese officials 



378 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

were free of the spirit of beggary. A fee is charged on enter- 
ing — generally from lo to 25 cents — and that is all that is 
expected. 

No seats, pianos or organs were seen in the temples, but the 
floors were covered with mats, on which the worshipers kneel. 
Off the main church are rooms, where tapestry, with holy 
figures outlined, hang on the walls, and shrines are sometimes 
found in the cloisters. The temples are generally located in 
attractive grounds, often used by children at play. About the 
buildings are stone or cement posts, on top of which is a four- 
cornered cap, with a roof or covering larger than the pillar; 
these represent square lanterns. Under the roof the inside is 
hollow, with four corners as supports. Lights, put in these, 
radiate from the four openings. It is one of the sacred em- 
blems of Japan, and hundreds of these lanterns stand in tem- 
ple enclosures, each one the gift of a well-to-do adherent of the 
faith. The temples are covered by a roof which seems out of 
proportion to the building. The eaves are very deep, the 
supports often richly carved, the designs generally typifying 
some feature of the religion. The entrance to a Shinto temple 
is always marked by two stone or wood posts, one on each 
side, from 12 to 18 feet in height. About two feet below the 
top a long, straight beam of stone, from a foot to eighteen 
inches wide, rests in mortises of the upright posts. As the cross 
stone is solid, one end is placed in the mortise of one pillar 
and placed across to enter the mortise in the opposite one, the 
ends extending from two to four feet from the pillars. On 
top of these posts rest a wide stone cap piece of warped appear- 
ance. The whole is called a torii, and appears only at the en- 
trance of a Shinto temple. For walks, the enclosures are cov- 
ered with gravel, like the streets, or the natural soil serves the 
purpose of tiling or pavement. They bear no resemblance to 
temples seen in the other countries visited, neither are they as ex- 
pensively fitted as some of the mosques and temples in India. 

Poor people of other countries do not, as a rule, have two 
pairs of shoes, but every Japanese seemed to possess that coveted 
number. When we say shoes, we mean something — anything 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 379 

— to keep the feet from the ground. The Japanese " shoes " 
are pieces of wood, a trifle longer than the foot, arched at a 
point between the joint of the toes and instep, with heavy braid. 
Another strip of braid, coming from the point of the shapened 
wood on which the foot rests, is secured to the cross braid, 
which fits in between the big toe and the next. Under the foot- 
board are fastened two other thin pieces of wood, two to three 
inches apart, and sometimes three inches high, resembling the 
bridge of a violin. In wet weather, high-bridged clogs are worn 
to keep the feet from the ground, and in dry weather low- 
bridged clogs are used. Sandals are worn by some Japanese, 
but the bridge clog is the shoe of Japan. High-bridge clogs 
make more noise than low-bridge ones, and when a dozen per- 
sons walk on a sidewalk wearing this footgear one knows the 
Japanese are coming. The clogs cost from 30 to 50 cents a 
pair. 

Bathing in Japan is a custom that must not be overlooked. 
In the country districts one tub — of wood — is used by a 
family. Often the bathing takes place in a yard, and the mem- 
bers go through with the custom, one after the other, while 
steam is on the water. The same water answers the purpose 
of all. 

Small hens* eggs and two-wheeled vehicles go hand in hand 
in the Orient, as in both respects, particularly in pigeon-sized 
eggs, the Japanese products are the same as first met with in 
Bombay, India. 

Kyoto is flat, with a pine-tree covered hill behind, on which 
a number of temples stand. Looking over the city from this 
elevation, it reminds one of a huge lumber yard. By reason 
of fires having occurred frequently, a few wide streets course the 
flat site, and not more than half a dozen modern buildings rise 
above the one-story, flimsy homes. Without these fire-swept 
tracts there would be no street cars in some Japanese cities. 
In Osaka and other cities the ravages by fire are being taken 
advantage of to replace the alleys with wide streets. Dwarfed 
pines, fruit trees, bulbs, and other plants are seen at many 
homes. The Japanese are poor, and are taxed heavily by the 



38o SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

government; still, the full, rosy cheeks of both women and 
children would not suggest the hard conditions they are forced 
to endure to keep body and soul together. 

Kyoto, the literary center of Japan, is also noted for its por- 
celain, lacquer goods, cutlery, hardware, and silk manufac- 
tories. 

Comfortable chairs in a clean passenger coach, with an ob- 
servation compartment at the rear, and but four foreigners as 
passengers, was the agreeable manner in which we started for 
Yokohama. At nearly every stop the platforms of the coaches 
were not only swept but washed. Nothing was lacking to 
insure comfort, and the train traveled at a speed of 30 miles an 
hour; but, like the flimsy homes of the people, the coach, which 
was a first-class one, was not the solid car that one is accus- 
tomed to in other countries. The railway stations were of 
good construction, however, being clean and tidy. 

Along the route women and girls were seen carrying bundles 
of coarse grass and reeds from the hills. In China men are 
seen carrying on their shoulders large numbers of shoes made 
from such material. In rice fields, and where other grain had 
been cut, the stubble was level with the ground — nothing 
allowed to go to waste. A great many of the hills were ter- 
raced with stone walls in order to raise food to live on. At 
one section of the road the train passed through a valley, hills 
rising from each side. The soil was naturally rich and of 
considerable depth. Women and men were engaged here in 
shoveling dirt into grass baskets, which was carried up steep 
hills and deposited near the top on small patches of land that 
had been made level by building stone walls to prevent storms 
from washing the soil back again into the valley. Often a 
Shinto shrine appeared, and peasants as they passed bowed, bent 
their knees, and moved their lips. All seemed to be warmly 
clad, had rosy cheeks, and none looked untidy; nor was there 
any begging at the railway stations. On we went, winding 
about hills, then through valleys, until, after rounding a sharp 
turn, a white mountain loomed up in front and to the left — 
Mount Fujiyama, the sacred mountain of Japan, which rises to a 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 381 

height of 12,365 feet, located 86 miles from Yokohama. By 
early evening we had reached the cradle of modern Japan. 

To Commodore M. C. Perry, of the United States Navy, 
credit is given for starting a nev^^ era in the history of Japan, 
at Yokohama, in 1854. Yokohama is to Japan w^hat Shanghai 
and other cities are to China — a world treaty port. Com- 
modore Perry practically forced Japan to open her gates to other 
nations of the world, after they had been locked for 2,CX)o 
years against all, except the Dutch at Nagasaki. As in the 
treaty ports of China, the hand of the white man is in evidence 
at every turn in the good docks, warehouses, customs houses, 
splendid postoffice building, good bank building, racecourse, 
public gardens ; wide streets, with pavement, some having walks ; 
gas, electricity, street cars, and other signs of progress. A short 
distance from the concession strip of land the native city is 
located, with the usual small frame dwellings and narrow, un- 
paved streets. In 1859 a foreign settlement was established, 
where only a fishing village had stood previously, but to-day 
Yokohama is the leading seaport city of Japan and the ter- 
minus of ships sailing from European and American ports. 

Beyond the business center of the city, on an elevation known 
as the Bluff, foreigners live. These residents have their 
churches, libraries, clubs and societies, and are free from any in- 
terference. Horses and oxen, instead of human beings, were 
found pulling loads of merchandise, and cranes at the docks were 
used to load and unload the thousands of vessels that come and 
go. A good railway station adds to the appearance of this 
foreign city, but there is little native interest to be observed 
compared to other typical Japanese centers. 

At Kamakura, an hour's ride from Yokohama, is located the 
great Daibutsu, the Japanese Buddha, 49^^ feet high, with a 
circumference of nearly a hundred feet. The Daibutsu is 
composed of bronze plates, brazed together, and has eyes, four 
feet in length, of gold. In the center of the forehead is a silver 
ball, denoting wisdom. The ear lobes are very long and the 
hair curly. This great image rests on a stone foundation, and 
the position of the Buddha is that of sitting down, hands folded, 



382 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

in reverential meditation, the feet being partly under. It is 
hollow inside, and a shrine has been erected within for wor- 
shipers. A ladder leads to the top of the Daibutsu. Kama- 
kura has been sacked by warfare, racked by volcanoes, and 
ravaged by fires on various occasions, but for 600 years the 
great image has remained in the same position. It is a striking 
work of art. From the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries Kama- 
kura was the capital of the Shogunate, and at one time had a 
population of a million people, but to-day it is but a seaside 
village. 



CHAPTER VI 

An hour's ride from Yokohama, Tokyo, the capital of Japan, 
is reached. The water here is shallow, Yokohama being prac- 
tically the port for the official city of Japan. Tokyo has more 
open space than other native cities, and street cars, rickshas and 
crowds of people about the railway station gave ample evidence 
of having reached a large center. One of the main streets of 
the capital city is wide, with sidewalks, and good business 
buildings rise at frequent sections along the thoroughfare. 
Goods were displayed in the windows, and clerks were on their 
feet; whereas in other cities Japanese merchants, like the In- 
dians, were seen sitting down on an elevation or low counter, 
with feet partly under and the sandals or clogs on the floor. 
Away from the business street, however, are the one-story frame 
dwellings, with latticed-like doors, having white paper in the 
window squares to admit light. Outside the home are several 
pairs of clogs, as, agam like the East Indian, Japanese enter in 
stockinged feet. The same sliding doors were here, too, and 
the streets were as narrow and as free of pavement as those of 
Kyoto and other cities. The charcoal buckets were surrounded 
by members of the family, each one seeming to take turn in 
fanning the embers to a stronger heat. 

A visitor would find difficulty in getting about Tokyo, as the 
street signs, where they appear, are printed in Japanese, and the 
same applies to those on street cars. Large, modern street cars 
were in use, and the travel was so heavy that two conductors, 
as in Osaka, were kept busy collecting fares. The fare was 
the same as that in other cities — 4^ cents with a return cou- 
pon, or 234 cents a single ride. Traffic keeps up from morning 
until late at night. A stranger would do well to have written 
down in the Japanese language on a piece of paper where he 

383 



384 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

wishes to leave the car, as no English is spoken by conductors, 
and the pronunciation of the names of places is not at all as 
the spelling of the word would suggest in English. As many 
people held on to the straps as were seated. 

Japanese believe in the merit of water, as was evidenced in 
the sprinkling of streets, these being partly muddy all the time, 
which suggests that high-bridge clogs are generally worn. Very 
few of the streets were paved with asphalt or blocks, the paving 
peculiar to Japan — loose gravel — being in evidence on most 
of them. Many canals and a few rivers run through the city, 
and bridges are frequently met with ; some of these are of iron. 

One misses restaurants, bakeries, and similar stores when 
traveling through the Far East. Not enough foreigners live 
in these parts of the world to create a demand for such 
eating places. Rice is the principal food, and one never sees a 
loaf of bread or a cake displayed in store windows. Eating is 
confined to the home or hotel. 

Tokyo covers an area of lOO square miles, and good parks 
are included within its boundaries. The grounds about the 
Mikado's palace and the government buildings, the latter of 
European design, are in keeping with a national capital. A 
high wall surrounds the grounds in which the palace is sit- 
uated, and a moat, containing clear water, separates the wall 
from streets on each side. The effect that should accompany 
an imperial residence is marred, however, as the entrance to the 
passageway leading to the grounds was enclosed with an un- 
shapely frame structure, guarded by soldiers. The streets 
through that section of the city were paved with loose gravel. 
Green stretches of grass and park spaces, together with splendid 
vistas, characterize the scene about the location of the imperial 
palace. Visitors are not allowed to enter. 

The police and military systems of Japan are so perfect that 
a foreigner's whereabouts while in the country will be accounted 
for by the authorities to the minute. The officers have shel- 
ters to stand in throughout the city, in which a telephone is 
placed. None seemed officious, but they can put their hands 
on a visitor any time they have occasion to do so. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 385 

At one end of the city is located what is familiarly known 
as Asakusa Temple, the church of the poor, the grounds and 
buildings of which are nearly always crowded with people. 
On and near the grounds are seen fortune tellers, fakirs, toy 
vendors, flaring advertisements, observation towers, side shows, 
idols and altars, and the clatter of clogs is loudly heard. In 
front of this temple are shrines, one of them erected to Binguru, 
the helper of the sick. Binguru is made of stone, and wears a 
pink bib. The people believe that by rubbing an affected part 
of the body on the stone image they will be cured. As a result, 
Binguru is growing less in weight from year to year by reason 
of so many hands coming in contact with the stone god. Priests 
sell pictures of the goddess Kwannon, which, the people believe, 
will bring them good fortune — a baby boy to a home, for in- 
stance — and, in a general sense, keep away evil days. Then 
the church treasury is replenished by priests telling fortunes. 
The contribution box is different to those seen in any other 
temple, being 6 feet long and 18 inches deep, with strips of 
wood nailed across the top, one side higher than the other. 
Between the strips over the top were openings of two inches. A 
railing separates the money trough from worshipers. Though 
the people are not burdened with money, the coins rattling in 
that cattle-guard-like money-box sounded like rain dropping on 
a tin roof. 

The amusement center of Tokyo is located a few squares 
from Asakusa Temple. Hundreds of theaters stand within a 
short radius, and the life of the Chinese and Japanese peoples 
reaches its zenith in these districts. The streets are literally 
emblazoned from both sides with vari-colored canvas, contain- 
ing, in Japanese, an account of what is going on inside the 
buildings. Pictures of the show are painted on sheets of cloth 
in red, yellow, orange, black, blue — in fact, all colors — and 
large lights hang thickly above these — truly a striking com- 
bination of light and hues. The charge for these performances 
is from 23^ to 10 cents. 

At one theater, where admission was five cents, foreigners' 
shoes had to be covered with cloth. It seemed as if religious 



386 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

custom was being carried too far to be halted by an attendant 
with a pair of canvas slippers to conceal leather from the floor 
of a five-cent show house. After leaving and walking a square's 
distance from the building, a man stepped in front and offered 
lo sen, the sum paid for admission, but, having forfeited all 
claim to it, I continued on my way. But that would not do, 
the usher refusing to leave until I had accepted the lo sen. 
Thereupon I returned to the theater, bought another ticket, 
and submitted to slippers custom. 

A trench was being dug on one of the main streets away from 
the business center, and a pile driver was used to drive heavy 
scantlings for shoring. The iron weight was raised by ropes, 
pulled by women. Pullej^s were fastened to the top of the 
derrick, and ropes ran over these. A dozen women were en- 
gaged at the work, each one with a rope in her hand, and if the 
ropes had been colored the scene would have resembled that of 
a Maypole gathering. They all pulled together when the 
weight was to be raised, and some of the pullers, stepping back 
as the weight came nearer the top, danced, hummed a keep-step 
song, and joined in laughter at the same time. When the 
weight reached the top of the derrick, all let go the ropes, and 
gave a shout as it hit the top of the shoring post. 

Celebrating the advent of cherry blossoms is a religious cus- 
tom of Japan. One would naturally think cherries were a 
common luxury in that country, but it happens that the trees 
only flower, and do not bear fruit. In a general sense, flowers 
and trees figure largely in the life of the Japanese nation, which 
suggests the deep-rooted growth Shintoism has taken. In Janu- 
ary, when it is cold, even plum and other trees blossom, which 
proves a source of joy to the people. The pine tree typifies long 
life, and the bamboo uprightness. The lotus is another sacred 
plant of the Land of the Rising Sun, and the lesson taught from 
that flower is that purity comes out of impurity. The lotus 
will grow in dirty pools, but the open flower will be as pure as 
if grown in a clear mountain stream. But the greatest nature 
festivals take place during the cherry blossom season, and 
later, when the chrysanthemum is in bloom. The wistaria is 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 387, 

another sacred flower. Girls and women dress themselves in 
their best kimonos and fasten on their back their richest obi, all 
taking keen delight in parading under the bowers of flowering 
trees and vines. 

In Japan a stranger will always find some one to speak to 
him, to bow, to give him a smile, as in India. A card may be 
handed the visitor, with an invitation to call at a certain ad- 
dress — a store, for instance. The Japanese have acquired the 
highest science in lacquer and in damascene work. Lacquer 
work is done by a varnish made of dissolved shellac and other 
chemicals, and woodwork of various designs are finished in a 
highly polished manner. Gold, silver, ivory, bronze, and 
mother-of-pearl are often inlaid on the designs offered for sale. 
The damascene work is ornamented metal, done by inlaying or 
incorporating patterns, usually of another metal, and smooth- 
ing and polishing the whole surface; or in engraving designs, 
with deep-cut lines, inlaying gold wires, and rubbing these down 
level. Another form of damascening is the making of small 
holes in a base metal, filling these with gold, and then burnish- 
ing the article. There are also other forms, and the Japanese 
and Chinese seem to have mastered that art to a higher degree 
than other races. Runners for these merchants seldom fail in 
meeting visitors. 

" Look," said a Japanese acquaintance, pointing to a small 
girl of the same race. As Japanese bear a resemblance from one 
end of the islands to the other, no difference could be seen in 
that particular girl from others passing by. He then ex- 
plained. The girl wore a long apron, the sort American girls 
wear at school and about the home. Children wearing aprons 
was an innovation in clothes, and American women teachers 
in that country introduced the ** style." 

Men with pads across their chests work like truck horses in 
Tokyo. Women also were seen engaged at the same hard 
work. Aside from street cars, rickshas were the conveyances 
mostly used to get about the city. A great many of the pullers 
wear neither clogs nor sandals, their feet being covered with a 
cloth slipper. Still, they seemed to be in better circumstances 



388 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

than those seen in Shanghai. Fare, however, is higher than 
in other countries passed through. Few automobiles were seen 
in Japan. 

Tokyo is supplied with good temples, and the skill of the 
Japanese in the lacquer art is shown in these buildings. The 
supports in some of the churches have been treated to dozens of 
coats of lacquer, and the ceilings richly inlaid with gold leaf, 
often worked in flower designs. The canang on the enclosures 
and doors is good, but the more noted is the handicraft of 
Chinese. Mats are used on the floors of the temples, and val- 
uable Japanese tapestry is shown to visitors. Some of the 
church enclosures contain hundreds of stone lanterns. As in 
other Japanese cities, there were no beggars. 

In one of several creditable city parks is a good museum, the 
building being very imposing. The same ground, containing 
temples, has an interesting zoo. In this park the principal 
cherry blossom celebrations take place. Industrial museums 
are also found in other sections of the city. A visit to the cap- 
ital of the Mikado proves interesting. 

The geisha is composed of women whose occupation is danc- 
ing and entertaining. Through the artfulness of this class, the 
hand of the geisha often reaches to the legislative halls of Par- 
liament. 

Hari-kiri — one form of suicide in Japan — is putting one's 
self to death at the suggestion of the government, to save dis- 
grace, brought about by his own acts, and the scorn of his 
countrymen. Disemboweling is generally the method of hari- 
kiri. Self-destruction in this manner mitigates, to a large ex- 
tent, the disgrace that his family would otherwise bear. 

Diamios are the landed class of Japan, and during the feudal 
system of government they wielded much power with the 
Mikado and the Shogun. Most of the stone lanterns seen about 
the temple grounds are gifts from diamios. Samurai is the 
term used for the army. 

Women with blackened teeth are met with frequently in 
Japan. As an even row of white molars often proves the means 
of gaining the affections of a man, the green-eyed monster, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 389 

jealousy, in the Japanese husband prevents attention being paid 
to his wife by another man by his making the teeth black. Yet 
it is better for a woman to have her teeth blackened than to 
have her eyes dug out, as is the custom in India. A husband 
goes and comes when he so desires, as his liberty is not questioned 
by his wife. Everything is in favor of the man in Japan; the 
woman must breast an opposing current of inferiority almost 
from the time of birth until death. 

A saucy child is seldom met with in Japan, and it is a rare 
thing to see a parent chastising one. Obedience of children — 
and women also — is a national characteristic. Both Japanese 
and Chinese children are the picture of health. The Japanese 
woman is the model wife and mother. 

After being invited to a home, and not seeing the hostess 
about, would naturally seem very strange in most countries, 
but this is a custom in Japan, lived up to in a great many 
instances. Only in the homes of Japanese families where Eu- 
ropean customs have supplanted native tradition does the hostess 
and daughters take part in entertaining guests. Geisha girls 
are engaged to entertain visitors, the host and hostess taking 
a very small part in the entertaining. Guests, whether wear- 
ing shoes, clogs, or sandals, leave these outside, as it is a uni- 
versal custom to enter a home or temple in bare or cloth- 
covered feet. 

In some Latin-American countries the customary salute, even 
by men, is a hug, but in Japan it is a deliberate bow, then an- 
other, still another, and the bowing does not cease until from 
eight to ten of these salutes have been gone through. Judging 
by the requirements in acknowledging pleasure at meeting a 
friend, time would not seem to be at a premium in the land of 
the Mikado. 

The Japanese — whether high or low, rich or poor — are 
very polite. Should any criticism be in order on this admirable 
trait, it would be that the Japanese have a surfeit of politeness, 
perhaps enough for themselves and their clever neighbors, the 
Chinese. But it is better to have too much than not enough of 
so good a thing. Meeting some countrymen away from home, 



390 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

and at home also, the fact bluntly occurs that many Ameri- 
cans are behind people of other nations in this attainment. As 
the fronds of a wrecked cocoanut palm inspires hope in a greater 
degree than any other factor we know of, so in like measure 
politeness will smooth harsh feelings and contribute more largely 
to real happiness in life than any other of our social require- 
ments. 

The island of Nippon is the largest of which the kingdom 
is formed. The area of Japan is 150,000 square miles, and the 
population about 50,000,000. The Mikado (Son of Heaven) 
exercises monarchical powers, although the two legislative 
bodies suggest the laws. Tokyo, with a population of 3,000,- 
000, has been the capital of the Empire since the resignation of 
the late Shogun, in 1868. While Japan has made great strides 
in maritime, naval and military affairs, and her schools, still 
the home of the Japanese is not as good as the hut of the 
Samoan. 

Ninety miles above Tokyo is located Nikko, held in the same 
degree of reverence by Japanese as the Hindus do Benares and 
Mohammedans Mecca. Temples, mausoleums, mountains, 
lakes, streams, and trees tend to make this an attractive place. 
On leaving Tokyo for Nikko I had settled in a government 
official's seat unknowingly. A trainman stood at the side, his 
manners suggesting something had gone wrong. I asked him 
if a mistake had been made, and just then the official stepped 
between the seats and answered, in good English, " No mistake 
whatever." He proved good company during the journey, and 
when I had quit the first train to make connections for Nikko 
he accompanied me to the other one and saw that I received 
the best accommodation the train afforded. Not until I had 
reached my destination had it occurred to me that I had oc- 
cupied his seat. 

The lacquer merchants, damascene workers, and brass dealers 
were all on hand, each extending invitations to give them a 
call before leaving the city. 

Aside from the natural attractiveness of Nikko, the first ob- 
ject of interest that meets the eye is a bridge, 40 feet long, 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 391 

spanning a river. This is arched in design, painted a bright red 
color, but is not generally used for crossing the stream. It is 
known as the Sacred Bridge, and was originally built in 638 
B. C. Only Shoguns were privileged to use it, with the ex- 
ception of twice a year, when pilgrims to the shrines were al- 
lowed to pass over. The original bridge was destroyed by a 
flood in 1902, but the same reverence is maintained for the new 
one. Only the imperial family is now allowed to tread the 
sacred boards. 

The gods of Japan range from dove-like images to demons 
of the most savage type. A great many, much in evidence, have 
been carved out of wood and are painted in flaring colors. The 
god of thunder is a fierce-looking image, and monkeys and other 
images are brought plainly to view with lavishness of bright- 
colored varnish. The tomb of lyeyasu, the great Shogun of 
Japan, is located in Nikko. It rests on a stone base, with a 
bronze base above, is cylindrical in form, and capped with a 
bronze cover representing the design of a roof over some of the 
shrines. Another tomb, nearly as famous, is that of the great 
Shogan's grandson, lemitsu. It is over 300 years since these 
notables were laid to rest in that attractive section. 

From some of the temples radiate a dazzling light when the 
sun is shining, by reason of the rich gold-lacquering and the 
wood carving being painted in flaring colors. Standing at the 
base of a pine tree-covered hill, these temples are not imposing, 
yet, by reason of no expense being spared in their embellish- 
ment, they are conspicuous, and even famous. The greater 
wealth, contained in the holy of holies section of the buildings, 
a stranger does not see. The colors are so glaring and some of 
the gods so fierce looking, that, while appreciating the great 
expense in creating the structures and images, one would be 
safe in regarding the scene as depicting a savage art. 

While costly temples prove a magnet to both native and 
foreigner, nature has been very liberal in dealing with Nikko. 
The stately cryptomeria, or cedar, trees growing at the ap- 
proach of and in the temple grounds are admirable. An at- 
tractive avenue of these trees embowers a highway passing 



392 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

through Nikko for 20 miles, some of which rise to heights of 
over a hundred feet, and are from two to nine feet in diameter. 
Three hundred years ago these trees were laid out and planted 
so close that, save for openings above the lower trunk, where 
the trees begin to narrow, the space on each side of the roadway 
is solidly walled by cedar bases. We have seen nothing to 
compare, in uniformity and distance, with the two rows of 
cryptomeria at and below Nikko. Pine and other trees grow 
all about, and rivers, cascades, and inviting glens all go to make 
the surroundings very attractive. 

Soap must be furnished by guests in some hotels, and matches 
as well. While in India travelers generally furnish their own 
bedding and shoe polish, in our Nikko hotel all these accessories 
were furnished, together with a bath kimono and mat sandals. 

" Ahayo " is the word one will be greeted with when passing 
a group of rosy-cheeked, slant-eyed, clothes-quilted, clog-shod 
Japanese children. If the salute be returned a bow will be 
made by the happy cherubs, when they will clatter on their 
noisy way. " Ahayo " is " good day " in the English language. 

All accounts must be settled before New Year's Day, when a 
national settlement takes place, or the debtor will be dishonored. 
If a creditor feels disposed to extend debts, the debtor is saved 
from disgrace. The most precious thing in a home must be 
sold to meet obligations at the close of the year. This custom 
necessitates a great fair being held just before New Year's Day, 
which occupies miles of space in the larger cities. Both high 
and low visit these annual fairs, and purchases are liberal, 
as every one knows the reason for which the articles are put on 
sale. These fair districts are illuminated with electric lights 
and native lanterns, and many indigent Japanese become shop- 
keepers for the time being. 

In some districts of Japan a funeraJ, when the deceased is 
an aged or respected person, assumes the form of a festival. 
Friends bring money, cakes, sake (native drink), plums, sugar, 
edibles of all kinds, and flowers. All bow before the home 
altar and assume a praying attitude with the hands. Then 
the offerings are placed before the shrine. When all the sym- 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 393 

pathizers have gathered, bowed, and deposited their offerings, a 
feast is prepared, which often continues for two days. The 
Japanese have no fear of the hereafter, and this custom is main- 
tained to honor the respectable dead. 

Nikko homes are similar to those seen in other sectioris of 
Japan — small, one-story frame buildings, with paper-square' 
doors. 



CHAPTER VII 

Returning to Tokyo, from that city we left for Yokohoma, 
where the fourth ship we had traveled on since leaving Manila 
was making ready to start for Honolulu, 3,400 miles separating 
the Japanese seaport from the Hawaiian capital. 

Sailing from Japan on a Japanese ship, second-class was the 
best accommodation we could afford, which did not mean any- 
thing in the nature of luxurious living. The butter — well, it 
was not the kind one gets on a farm, and seemed to be made of 
at least three constituents — olive oil, peanut flour, and colored 
lard. Twenty foreigners were on the ship, the other passengers 
being Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. A request v/as made 
of the captain, who was a Britisher, to oil up the table, as it 
were, when luxuries like catsup and pickles improved things 
somewhat; but the Oriental butter remained true to its original 
taste and color. 

For the first two days out the ship sailed through the tail of 
a typhoon, after which summery weather prevailed. A number 
of Chinese sailors, with collapsible tables, appeared on the 
deck below, where, in a half-circular space, on each side of 
a dividing line, were printed the words, " High — Low." 
On the tables were small teacups, a pair of dice alongside, and 
small piles of money — silver, gold, bills, and nickel coins of 
several countries. A half-dozen of these gaming tables did 
business part of the day, and some all day. This form of 
gambling is common on most ships sailing in that part of the 
world. 

Nine days out from Yokohama a green island hove in sight 
— one of the Hawaiian group. The next morning the ship 
lay to in a blue-water bay; shortly afterwards she was being 
towed through a channel and was soon alongside a wharf at 
Honolulu. 

One would be led to think from the questioning, ticket ex- 

394 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 395 

amination, passport identification, and other immigration regu- 
lations, that the streets of Honolulu were glistening with dia- 
monds or other precious material. Immigration officials take 
passengers' steamship tickets on their leaving a vessel, and trav- 
elers regain them only when about to enter the gangplank on 
leaving the islands. Thirty days is the longest period allowed 
for a stop-over. Orientals, however, leave a ship by hundreds. 

The most striking feature of the Hawaiian Islands is its 
climate — perpetual summer. Most of the white people seen 
were Americans, but whites are much in the minority. The 
street-car system is good, the cars modern, and some large and 
roomy. No color line is drawn, and Asiatics are seen at every 
turn. While Chinese and Japanese merchants control the 
business in less prominent streets, American business houses 
dominate the business center. Some of the stores are good, al- 
though prices are higher than on the mainland, as the United 
States is termed. 

Ice and bananas were the cheapest things quoted, the former 
selling at half a cent a pound and bananas at 5 cents a dozen. 
Milk, on the other hand, costs from 10 to 12 cents a quart, and 
butter was quoted at 40 cents a pound. Beef, mutton, pork and 
veal sold at 22 to 26 cents a pound. Turkey and chicken, live 
weight, sold at 35 to 40 cents a pound. Fresh eggs brought 
from 50 to 75 cents a dozen. Potatoes are sold by the pound, 
and cost 4 cents. At 60 pounds to the bushel, potatoes cost 
$2.40. A 50-pound sack of good flour sells at $1.65 to $1.75. 
Coal sells at $12 a ton, but little is used, as summer prevails 
the year round. A cord of wood costs $14. Gas is $1.50 a 
thousand feet, and electric light 17 cents a thousand watts. A 
furnished room can be rented for $2 a week, however, and pop- 
ular priced restaurant food can be had for a dollar a day. 
Street-car fare is 5 cents. House rent ranges in price from $20 
a month upward. A house renting for $30 a month includes 
ground containing cocoanut palms and other attractive tropical 
growths. Wages paid are about the same as those on the 
mainland. Street laborers, mainly Portuguese and Russians, are 
very well paid, receiving from $1.60 to $z a day. 



396 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

The percentage of motor-cars to population is very high. 
There are about 1,200 in Honolulu, and, as the population is 
50,000, it works out an average of one motor-car to every 400 
inhabitants. 

" Don't Spit " signs, printed in big type, are posted in rooms 
and at public places, suggesting that lung trouble is prevalent. 
Honolulu is similar to Los Angeles, Cal., in this respect, as many 
wealthy people with that malady make their home in this pleas- 
ant climate, which may account in a measure for the many 
motor-cars seen. 

With the exception of some business buildings, the later-built 
of these being attractive structures, Honolulu is built of wood. 
The lumber comes from the Pacific Coast, and, as the price for 
1,000 feet ranges from $37 upward, it is needless to add that it 
costs a good sum to erect substantial buildings in the Hawaiian 
Islands. A great many of the homes, however, like others in 
warm climates, offer a very inviting appearance, as verandas are 
built all around, and, if two or more stories in height, each floor 
has a porch attached. Flowering vines grow over these, and in 
the home space is often found the ponciana regia, a crimson- 
flowering tree, as gorgeous in color as the flambeau growing in 
Durban, South Africa. Cocoanut palms and bamboo also grow 
within the grounds, while the streets may be studded with the 
trunks and arched with the long fronds of a different specie of 
attractive palm tree. Together with flowers, pineapples, banyan 
and mango trees, one has a setting nearly as good as that 
offered in the metropolis of Natal, between which and Honolulu 
there is a marked similarity. 

The temperature varies only about 30 degrees the year round. 
During the summer the thermometer seldom rises higher than 
90 degrees in the shade, and rarely drops below 50 degrees dur- 
ing the winter. Wherever the cocoanut palms are seen grow- 
ing, one knows there will be no cold weather. While the sun 
is hot during the day, one can sleep under bed clothing at night. 
Nairobi, British-East Africa, and Entebbe, Uganda, were other 
places visited where the nights were cool, though a hot sun 
shone during the day. 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 397 

As in New Zealand, there are said to be no snakes nor poison- 
ous plants. Bees and yellow jackets, however, buzz about all 
day. Mosquitos were unknown in the group before 1826, when 
a Mexican whaling ship, it is said, started a " colony." 

Sugar-cane growing is the most prosperous industry here,"not- 
withstanding that it requires more care, cultivation and expense 
than in other countries. Irrigation and fertilization are neces- 
sary to insure crops in some parts of the group. All the soil 
is of volcanic origin. 

The wages paid sugar plantation workers are from $18 to 
$26 a month, with free house rent, cooking fuel, and medical 
attendance. In addition to wages, a bonus is given to workers 
who remain to the end of the season. The homes are built of 
lumber, rest on posts from two to four feet above ground, and 
are whitewashed. We believe many white persons in the United 
States would quickly accept an offer of work at the wages paid, 
comforts included. 

Pineapple growing, which holds second place to the sugar in- 
dustry, is a new venture ; and those familiar with the nature of 
the soil, and the droughts, blights and pests that have to be com- 
batted have not full faith in the permanency of the pineapple 
industry here. Corn would do well if a bug did not eat the 
heart out of the stalk when young; cotton also, but for a pest; 
fruit would be abundant if trees were not attacked by the 
Mediterranean or some other fly, and cattle thrive as long as 
feed and water are available ; but, owing to frequent droughts, 
animals die on some of the islands nearly every year; Irish pota- 
toes would yield a good crop if a bug did not eat the vines — in 
short, pests are so numerous that the government has sent scien- 
tists to many parts of the world to seek parasitic insects that will 
destroy those which now devastate the crops. On some islands 
where wells had been bored for watering the cattle, it turned 
out so salty that the animals would not drink it. 

The streets were full of " Thank you, ma'am." In some in- 
stances one side of a street contained a walk and the other side 
the Oriental form of sidewalk, native soil. One might walk 
about Honolulu for a day without seeing more than three or 



398 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

four policemen. In such a mixed population, with bumpty- 
bump streets the rule, and hop-step-and-jump sidewalks numer- 
ous, it is safe to presume the city management might be im- 
proved on. But a splendid municipal feature is the patrol 
wagon. This " Black Maria " is an artistically painted, swift- 
geared, smooth-running, attractively screened automobile. The 
smart appearance of the *' Maria " is enough to tempt poor peo- 
ple to commit an offense against the law in order to get a ride 
in the handsome machine. 

No beggars were seen, which indicates there is little distress, 
neither are there government almshouses. Refuges for old 
people to end their days have been provided, however, main- 
tained by public-spirited citizens. In very few parts of the 
world will one find as comfortable homes as those occupied by 
the laboring class of Honolulu. 

Save for music from the picking of strings of a guitar or 
banjo and sounds of song coming from groups of Kanakas as 
they pass along the streets in the evening, there is little native 
life left. With few exceptions they wear European clothes, in- 
cluding shoes. Like all natives living on the islands in the 
Pacific Ocean, the Kanaka is not much given to work. When 
an ambitious feeling does come over him he then wants to 
work, but when these moods are absent he cannot be depended 
on. Like the negro, there is little push in him, and it is said 
that there is not one successful business Kanaka in the group. 
Japanese and Chinese have taken advantage of openings that 
Kanakas should have accepted. When there is an easy job in 
sight, however, Kanakas want to secure it, a majority of ter- 
ritorial positions being filled by natives. There is little 
initiative in them, and one is safe in asserting that it requires two 
to do one man's work. Withal, the Kanaka, like other tribes 
of the Polynesian race, is a very agreeable, peaceable, good- 
hearted, care-free person. 

A few of the native customs are still maintained, notably wear- 
ing garlands, and, by way of show, a grass skirt may be seen 
worn by women. A garland of white flowers encircles the head, 







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SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 399 

and one of red, lavender, yellow, or other color is worn about the 
neck. In front, under the neck garland, a clump of orange 
leaves or some other growth is worn. Their hair is straight, 
features regular, complexion swarthy, and they are of good 
build. The mausoleums of the Kanaka kings rest in a cemetery 
a short distance from Honolulu. 

High, pretty hills rise behind the metropolis to the shore on 
the other side, and the view of the city obtained from some of 
these, stretching out at the base and beyond to the turquoise 
blue sea, with light green fields of sugar-cane to the right ex- 
tending to Pearl Harbor, and Diamond Head to the left; beau- 
tiful verdure and attractive homes in between, together with 
the seductiveness of the balmy air and tropical growth, holds 
one in Hawaii when better success might be achieved in a more 
rugged clime. 

Among the attractions of Honolulu is its aquarium. Some 
of the beautifully colored fish swimming about the glass tanks 
look more like pretty birds than fish. There is also a good 
museum; a beach, where natives, standing on boards, disport 
themselves while the breakers are rolling in; parks scattered 
about the city, in one of which a native band plays every evening ; 
forts, which may be visited, located close to the city, and a trip 
around Oahu Island is a very pleasant one. 

I was offered work at good wages, but as the time at my dis- 
posal could be better utilized in familiarizing myself with the 
country, and having no desire to remain, energy was reserved 
until the mainland was reached. Two English dailies, four 
Japanese, one Chinese, and a semi-weekly Portuguese newspaper 
are published in Honolulu. 

The Hawaiian Islands were discovered by Captain James 
Cook, the noted navigator, in 1778, who had planted the Eng- 
lish flag in Botany Bay, near Sydney, Australia, seven years 
earlier, and who claimed Tasmania and New Zealand for Eng- 
land ; he also discovered the Tongan group. The Kanaka, true 
to Polynesian custom, welcomed the captain and his crew on 
their first visit. A year later, however, upon the return of the 



40O SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

skipper, he got in trouble with the natives, who killed him. A 
monument is erected to the memory of the great navigator on 
the Island of Hawaii. 

David Kalakaua was the last of the native kings; he died in 
San Francisco, Cal., in 1891, his sister, Liliuokalani, being pro- 
claimed Queen. Two years later, in 1893, the Queen was de- 
posed, when the islands virtually became an American possession. 
In 1 898 it became a territory of the United States, with Sanford 
B. Dole as its first governor. What was once the royal palace 
of the rulers of Hawaii is now the capital building. Liliuo- 
kalani lived for years in Honolulu in a white-painted house, 
built in beautiful grounds. 

Eight islands compose the group, namely, Kauai, Niihau, 
Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Hawaii, the lat- 
ter, from which the territory takes its name, having an area of 
4,015 square miles; the other seven combined have not the area 
of Hawaii, the eight totalling 6,449 square miles. Captain 
James Cook first gave the name Sandwich Islands — now ob- 
solete — to the group. 

Leaving Honolulu for Kilauea crater, soon we rounded Dia- 
mond Head, and some time later Molokai, on which the ter- 
ritorial leprosy colony is located, appeared on our left. A por- 
tion of this island is utilized for stock grazing purposes, but the 
grass was white from drought, and cattle were dying for want 
of water. Maui was next reached, where what should have 
proved a nice land view also was blighted by the drought. Later 
we sailed alongside Hawaii, its vegetation offering a more in- 
viting scene than those left behind. A number of stops were 
made during the journey, passengers leaving and others boarding 
the vessel. Most of the white travelers were Americans. After 
several landings in Hawaii, Hilo was reached, where all pas- 
sengers left the ship. Hilo, next in size to Honolulu, has a 
population of 7,000, mostly off color. A large tonnage of 
sugar is shipped from this port, where the harbor, the best in the 
group, has been improved by a good breakwater. 

From Hilo a start was made for Kilauea crater, which may be 
reached by train or motor-car. The train was taken, and it 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 401 

proved even slower than the ones traveled on during the short 
trips from Manila. Some excuse might be offered for the 
Hilo train, as the route is up-grade, while the railways in Luzon 
are as flat as a table. Finally the train " stuck " at a steep 
grade, and the conductor, who was a Kanaka, did not know wh^t 
to do to get it started. He was " waiting for orders from 
Hilo," he said. The train was later detached, however, and, 
when the parts had been taken over the humpback and linked 
together again, it crawled slowly through large sugar planta- 
tions, past tree ferns, and other attractive landscape scenes, until 
we reached Glenwood, the end of the railway line, where a mail 
motor car was ready to take passengers to the hotel, nine miles 
beyond. An elevation of 4,000 feet had been traveled from 
Hilo to the object of our mission. Many passengers had wended 
their way to this place, and it seemed odd, after having been in 
black countries for three years, to find every one at the hotel 
locking the door to his room at midday. In some countries 
passed through the room doors were not closed even at night. 

Looking down upon and over a depression in the earth, bas- 
tioned by deep walls of rocks on each side, 7^ miles in circum- 
ference and containing an area of 4^4 square miles, there spreads 
out for three miles a fissured, hillocked, corrugated, gnarled, 
steam-emitting surface of slate-colored and black lava. This is 
the first view one obtains of Kilauea crater. The scene is very 
unusual, and interest is sharpened to a keen edge. Later a 
journey is taken over that strange lava wake, when the leaven 
from the fire-boiling underworld suggested the tremendous force 
contained below the sphere on which man treads. We had 
looked at the teeming volumes of water being ejected from gey- 
sers in Yellowstone Park; but water washes away and will 
eventually become purified as the stream it joins leaves the 
geyser zone. But here the lake-like, deep, black earth deposit 
remains, although, like the water from the geysers, for a time it 
had been a moving stream also. An acre of land area with 
similar deposit would attract scientists from great distances, 
but here there are over four square miles of that subterranean 
deposit. One obtains a side view, as it were, of a portion of the 



402 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

world turned inside out by nature's force at Kilauea crater. 
There was no soil, no rock, no trees — the substance under, be- 
fore, all about us was weirdly foreign to what is natural to the 
upper crust of the earth and to the sky above. Further on the 
fissures became wider, the hillocks higher, and the substance 
warm. Still yet ahead steam — or white smoke — is issuing 
from the cracks in the alien deposit, and when these are reached 
canny, hissing, and gurgling sounds from underneath are heard. 
From every side appears varied formations, molded while the 
lava was changing from liquid to solid matter. Some of these 
resemble mummies, great coils of rope, petrified trees, columns 
of iron, and other shapes. Beyond appears a large volume of 
smoke, reminding one of a great geyser basin on a calm, early 
morning. Approaching, the air becomes sulphur-laden, a hand 
is put to the nostrils, and natural breathing for the time is 
withheld, to prevent one from choking from the netherworld 
fumes. The wind now whirls the noxious odors away, and a 
still further advance finds one on the rim of a deep, yawning 
maw. Unearthly fumes again envelop the onlooker, but a 
friendly breeze again wafts the poisonous vapor to other parts, 
when the awful vent in Kilauea's deep, leaden crust reappears. 
Boom! comes from below, and smoke envelops the gaping 
chasm. A draught of wind sweeps the smoke from the pit 

of the fiery abyss, and A black and red stream of fire 

is seen swirling across the strange floor below! It is Hale- 
maumau, the greatest active volcano in the world, termed " the 
safety valve of the Pacific." The volcano is about a thou- 
sand feet in circumference, and the fire swirls several hun- 
dred feet below the lava-crusted rim. How many persons have 
had the rare privilege of looking into an active volcano? There 
it was — Halemaumau, in Kilauea crater. 

Locating to the windward of the volcano, the demon-like river 
of fire was, for the time being, holding revelry in quiet volcano 
fashion — but volcanic fashion. Boom ! came from below, as if 
from ordnance in action nearby, and fiery rocks were hurled 
against the lava-scaled sides. Ah! A clear stream of liquid 
fire now runs across the base as a river. Then sulphurous smoke 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 403 

envelops all. There (after the smoke has lifted) now runs 
what seems like a river of thick, black dirt ; but small explosions 
are taking place. A red seam next shows through the volcanic 

dross. A clear red river of fire Boom! The sides of the 

crater, like icicles — flushed by the rays of a scarlet sun — x)n a 
rock-faced coast, formed from a surging sea, are gorgeous with 
dripping lava. Were a black panel implanted across a morning 
aurora — that is how Halemaumau's strange river looks now. 
The current runs but one way and comes from the same side of 
the fomenting maw. Where does the lava stream come from? 
Into what outlet does it empty? Boom! Boom! The burn- 
ing depths seem to rise on a platform of fire. Listen to the 
splash as the red, upheaved rocks fall back into the furious mael- 
strom ! What a pretty, clear stream of carmine liquid ! It has 
passed away, and the black, dross-like course has again taken the 
red flow's place. 

There was no afterglow in the west, and the shades of evening 
were soon enveloped in the scroll of night. See Halemaumau 
now! How grand in the darkness! All about is flaming red. 
There is the same unspecked fiery river, flowing in the same 
direction as before. Half black now, and half red, but coming 
from the same invisible source and becoming lost in the invisible 
outlet. A clear, red stream again, but appearing further away. 
The liquid fire seems to have been sucked far below! An ab- 
normal expansion of the axis on which the world revolves takes 
place. Boom! Boom! Boom! The tremendous force from 
contraction ejects flaming substance from the nether-world high 
up against the sides, and from Halemaumau's flare the sky above 
is aglow — an esplanade of fire spanning the space between the 
infernal abyss and the vault of heaven ! 

The last stop has been reached on the long journey. From 
Honolulu, after visiting Kilauea crater, I continued to San Fran- 
cisco on an American ship, the fifth vessel traveled on since leav- 
ing Manila. After a stay of several weeks in San Francisco, in 
order to earn a portion of the money necessary to secure railway 
passage to New York, and borrowing $50, a start was made for 



404 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

the Atlantic seaboard, stopping off a week at Washington, 
D. C. New York was reached ' May i, 1913, having left 
Gotham nearly three years and three months earlier. 

In order to point out how cheaply one may travel, if economy 
be practiced, this statement is offered; From the time of leav- 
ing New York, February 9, 1910, until my return to New York, 
May I, 1913, I had been away 1,176 days. I had for the 
journey $1,350. My earnings in South Africa amounted to 
$2,400, in San Francisco $60, in Washington, D. C, $15, which, 
with the $50 borrowed, makes a total of $3,875 for the entire 
time consumed by the tour. By dividing $3,875 by the number 
of days — 1,176 — an average expense for everything of about 
$3.30 a day is the result. The distance traveled was 73,689 
miles, and the Itinerary and accompanying map indicate the 
course from place to place. No wrecks or accidents were en- 
countered — no such experience having taken place in all my 
journeyings. I have often thought I traveled under a lucky star. 



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ITINERARY 

Places at which stops were made and visited, and miles sep- 
arating each: 

1 910. Miles. 

New York to Liverpool 3, 100 

Liverpool to London 200 

London to Southampton 81 

Southampton to Lisbon 936 

Lisbon to Madeira 542 

Madeira to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 3,775 

Rio de Janeiro to Montevideo, Uruguay i ,094 

Montevideo to Buenos Aires, Argentine 124 

Buenos Aires to Durban, South Africa 4,500 

Durban to Johannesburg 482 

Johannesburg to Victoria Falls, Rhodesia, and return . . 2,416 

Warrenton to Kimberley and return 90 

Johannesburg to Pretoria and return 90 

Johannesburg to Bloemfontein 263 

Bloemfontein to Capetown 749 

Capetown to Durban (by rail) 1,253 

1911. 

Durban to Fremantle, Australia 4,300 

Fremantle to Melbourne i,7oo 

Melbourne to Launceston, Tasmania 280 

Launceston to Hobart 133 

Hobart to Dunedin, N. Z 1,080 

Dunedin to Christchurch 230 

Christchurch to Wellington 1 75 

[Wellington to Rotorua 393 

Rotorua to Auckland 171 

405 



4o6 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Auckland to Sydney, Australia 1,280 

Sydney to Jenolan Caves and return 224 

Sydney to Lautoka, Fiji 1,694 

Lautoka to Suva 118 

Suva to Levuka 60 

Levuka to Apia, Samoa 616 

Apia to Vavau, Tonga (Friendly Islands) 350 

Vavau to Haapai 80 

Haapai to Nukualofa 120 

Nukualofa to Auckland, N. Z 1,093 

Auckland to Sydney 1,280 

Sydney to Melbourne 582 

Melbourne to Adelaide 483 

Adelaide to Ballarat 408 

Ballarat to Melbourne 75 

Melbourne to Hobart 464 

Hobart to Albany, West Australia 1,487 

Albany to Durban, South Africa 4,565 

Durban to Johannesburg and Pretoria 527 

Pretoria and Johannesburg to Durban . 527 

Durban to Ginginhlovu, Zululand 93 

Ginginhlovu to Eshowe (stage) 17 

Eshowe to Melmoth (stage) 35 

Melmoth to Ginginhlovu (stage) 52 

Ginginhlovu to Durban 93 

1912. 

Durban to East London 262 

East London to Cradock 228 

Cradock to Bloemfontein 269 

Bloemfontein to Kimberley loi 

Kimberley to Johannesburg 309 

Johannesburg to Pretoria and return 90 

Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg 4^9 

Pietermaritzburg to Durban 73 

Durban to Lourenzo Marques, Portuguese-East Africa 320 

Lourenzo Marques to Beira 455 



SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 407 

Beira to Tanga, German-East Africa 1,210 

Tanga to Zanzibar 75 

Zanzibar to Dar-es-Salaam, German-East Africa 40 

Dar-es-Salaam to Tanga 115 

Tanga to Mombasa, British-East Africa 82 

Mombasa to Nairobi 327 

Nairobi to Port Florence 260 

Port Florence to Entebbe, Uganda 175 

Entebbe to Kampala 21 

Kampala to Jinja 63 

Jinja to Port Florence 132 

Port Florence to Nairobi 260 

Nairobi to Mombasa 327 

Mombasa to Mahe, Seychelles Islands 1,000 

Mahe to Bombay 2,000 

Bombay to Khandala (Thai Gauts) and return 156 

Bombay to Baroda 248 

Baroda to Ahmedabad 62 

Ahmedabad to Agra 539 

Agra to Delhi 120 

Delhi to Aligarh 79 

Aligarh to Cawnpore 192 

Cawnpore to Lucknow 46 

Lucknow to Benares 187 

Benares to Darjeeling 570 

Darjeeling to Calcutta 379 

Calcutta to Madras i>032 

Madras to Tuticorin 447 

Tuticorin to Colombo, Ceylon 147 

Colombo to Kandy and return 150 

Colombo to Singapore, Straits Settlements i>570 

Singapore to Hongkong, China i>440 

Hongkong to Manila, P. 1 630 

1913- 

Manila to Hongkong 630 

Hongkong to Canton and return . 175 



4o8 SEVEN LEGS ACROSS THE SEAS 

Hongkong to Shanghai 820 

Shanghai to Nagasaki, Japan 444 

Nagasaki to Kobe 385 

Kobe to Osaka 20 

Osaka to Kyoto 26 

Kyoto to Yokohama 350 

Yokohama to Tokyo 25 

Tokyo to Nikko *. 90 

Nikko to Yokohama 115 

Yokohama to Honolulu, T. H 3,400 

Honolulu to Hilo 200 

Hilo to Volcano Hotel and return 62 

Hilo to Honolulu 200 

Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 

San Francisco to New York 3,570 

Total ^,,,,*,,,»^,,,. . 73,689 



THE END 



